My Little Pony Will Of Fire (The Dragon Of Darkness)
by DragonDan2453
Summary: The Dragon Of Darkness is about how after Discord and Alexei are revived, Flareon must now face against Alexei's most powerful dragons in his army, including Alexei himself. Not to mention Flareon, Twilight, and his friends are forced to deal with the mischievous Discord. Flareon will also be obtaining new powers such as the Fire Tornado, Fire Shuriken, and Flame God Mode.
1. Dark Shadows

Chapter 1  
Dark Shadows

Discord, also know as the master of chaos and mischief, was Alexei's right hand man during the Dark Ages 10,000 ago in Equestria. Alexei didn't trust anyone except for Discord. Even the Elemental Warriors had trouble dealing with him, but thanks to Princess Estellise, they were eventually able to perform a seal called the Hexagon Seal Formation, and turned Discord into a stone statue. Unfortunately, the seal wasn't perfect and a small crack could be seen in Discord's chest, but they didn't have time to worry about it since they had their sights set on Alexei. Luckily, when they preformed it on Alexei, the seal was perfect. As an extra precaution, Nova used his fire magic to put a lock on Alexei's seal and only he could unlock it. It had seemed at the time that Alexei would never be revived, but that would soon be proven wrong. It all began one day in present Equestria. During a calm, peaceful night in Canterlot, Discord's statue was seen resting in the garden near Canterlot Castle as it always has been for the last 10,000 years. Suddenly, the crack on the statue began to glow, and soon after, Discord's right claw broke free as he clenched his fist. Later on, in Golden Oak Library, Flareon was enjoying a peaceful sleep when suddenly, he heard someone call his name. As Flareon got up, he looked around the room. Twilight was smiling and sleeping as normal, Spike was laying his head on the bed while drooling, and Owlowiscious was sleeping on her perch. As Flareon laid his head back on the pillow attempting to go back to sleep, he heard the same voice again call his name. As Flareon got out of bed slowly, he decided not to bother Twilight or Spike, and quickly left the house. He then flew into the air and began to follow the voice trying to figure out where it was coming from. Eventually, Flareon followed the voice all the way to Canterlot. He then flew to the garden near Canterlot Castle. To his surprise, there was a dragon standing in front of a maze. When Flareon landed on the ground and walked closer, he noticed the dragon was made out of different animal parts, almost like a dragon Frankenstein. As the dragon noticed Flareon walking towards him, he began to claps his hands and said, "Well...it's about time you showed up. I've been waiting ages and my back was starting to ache already."

As Flareon stopped, he replied, "Who are you? More importantly...what are you? A dragon-goat-lion-deer-snake-thing?"

The dragon was taken aback by Flareon's words. "How dare you! You don't even know who I am? I'm absolutely appalled. Come on! The Master of Chaos? The King of Mischief? The Mischievous Delinquent?" As Flareon just stared at him blankly, the dragon let out a disappointed sigh. "At least Nova knew my name."

Flareon was completely shocked. How did Nova know who the dragon was? The Elemental Warrior leader was alive a long time ago. There was no way Nova could have known this dragon. "That can't be true! Nova lived in Equestria 10,000 years ago...who are you?!"

The dragon began to laugh. As he wiped a tear of joy from his eye, the dragon said with a smile as he took a bow, "My name is Discord...at your service!"

At that moment, alarm bells began to ring in Flareon's head. This was that Discord? The dragon that was at Alexei's side during the Dark Ages? How was this possible? Discord was sealed as a stone statue by the Elemental Warriors. How did he escape? "Wait a minute...that's impossible. How are you alive? You should be a statue!" Flareon yelled.

Discord stroked his beard and shrugged. "I don't know, I just happened to be break free. I can't really explain how or why, but who cares? I'm finally free to unleash chaos once again, but first I need to release Lord Alexei from his seal. His statue is said to be in the middle of this maze here."

Right away, Flareon knew he had to defeat Discord before he revived Alexei. " Sorry, but that's not going to happen! I'm going to defeat you right here and now!"

Discord began to laugh and said, "Oh yes...there's that spirit and passion I remember from Nova. You are most defiantly very similar to him, almost identical twins I would say. How about for old times sake, we play a game, shall we?" As he snapped his fingers, Flareon's horn and wings suddenly disappeared.

As Flareon tried to figure out where his horn and wings had gone, he turned to face Discord and yelled, "Give those back you bastard!"

Discord then began to prance into the garden maze while laughing. "Catch me if you can!" he said happily. Soon after, Flareon began to run inside the maze after him. He couldn't let Discord revive Alexei, no matter what. This was his mission and failure wasn't an option. It didn't take long before Flareon lost Discord in the maze. As he frantically began to search for him, Discord began to laugh again, but it seemed to be coming from every direction. Flareon couldn't tell where he was. "What's the matter chosen one? Are you having trouble with little old me? Do you really believe that you can beat Alexei?"

Flareon was beginning to lose his patience. "I'm going to defeat Alexei, but not before I kick your dragon behind all across Equestria!" he yelled.

Discord was barely able to keep himself from laughing and replied, "How does it feel to be Princess Celestia's tool? Do you really believe those ponies are you friends? Once you defeat Alexei, they're going to toss you into the trash. You're simply a tool to them, nothing more, nothing less. They've been lying to you this entire time."

As Flareon continued to run through the maze, he yelled, "Shut up Discord!"

Unfortunately, Discord continued to taunt him. "Let's see...here it is! You're lonely aren't you? You feel that you're all alone in this world. You want to go home because you feel you don't belong." As this laughter echoed throughout the maze, Discord said, "You're so pathetic! You are simply a weak little pony that wants to go back home because you are scared of being rejected in this world."

Flareon was furious with rage as he was letting his anger consume him. At the same time though, he was trying to figure out how Discord knew so much about him. "How do you know all this? Quit playing game with me!"

Discord began to laugh again. "Yes that's right! I know everything about you. It's actually quite easy really. I just simply go deep inside your mind until I get to all the juicy secrets that you're keeping locked away. I have to say, they're all very interesting."

Just as Flareon began to yell at Discord again, he suddenly spotted him standing in front of an open area. "I've got you now bastard. You can't run away this time!" Unfortunately, as Flareon chased him into the area, everything suddenly went dark. As he walked around, Flareon couldn't see anything except himself. Discord was also nowhere to be seen. "Where am I? I'm still in the maze...right?" Flareon asked. As he began to hear Discord's menacing laugh again, Flareon began to frantically search everywhere in the black void for him. "Where are you Discord? Come on out and fight me you coward!" Suddenly, six figure's appeared before Flareon. It seemed to be Twilight and his friends. As he began to run to them, they turned around to face him. Unfortunately, something seemed wrong as they all had a blank stare on their faces. "Twilight, Rainbow Dash, everyone! How did you get here?"

It was Pinkie Pie who began to speak first. "You think we're your friends? Why would we be friends with a selfish jerk?" As Flareon was in complete shock about what he just heard her say, Rarity began to speak next."

"You're not a real pony, you're just a human posing as one. I could never stand being around you. Everyone is always giving me looks of disgust when I'm with you. It's no wonder ever since you arrived I've been getting fewer customers," she said.

Soon after, Applejack replied, "You think we need you to defeat Alexei? We can handle him ourselves. We don't need you getting in our way. Why can you just leave us alone already?" Next was Fluttershy.

"I always like meeting new ponies, but you're one I wish I never met. You're loud, impolite, immature, and mean. Even Angel and my animals hate you," Fluttershy said.

As Rainbow Dash looked at him, she laughed. "I can't believe a weakling like you think's you're my rival. I don't even know why I bother to hang out with you. I can't stand to be around as loser like you!"

Flareon was at a loss for words. So this was how everyone felt about him. Unfortunately, he couldn't argue with anything they had said. They were right about everything. There was no doubt about it, but he knew Twilight was different. She was the one pony that has always been by his side since he arrived in Equestria nine months ago. What happened next was something Flareon never expected Twilight to say to him.

"I never loved you. The only reason I married you is because I wanted to finally be popular, that's it. After I have my baby, I'm dumping you and marrying real stallion. Once you defeat Alexei, we won't having any use for you anymore. You are just a tool as you've always been and that will not change," Twilight said with no emotion at all. At that moment, he could feel his heart being broken into a million pieces. Flareon couldn't believe it. All that love between them was fake all along? Twilight never really love him did she? It was all just an act all along. As Flareon was nearly in tears, Twilight and the others suddenly disappeared, and soon after, he was surround by a large group of ponies that were smiling and laughing at him while saying, "Loser, freak, weirdo, useless, tool, garbage, weakling, dofus, stupid, dumb, idiot, moron," over and over again. It didn't take long before Flareon had fallen to the ground crying while putting his hooves over his ear trying to block out the sound of their ridicule. A couple of minutes later, Flareon felt someone touch his shoulder. When he looked up, Flareon noticed that the group of ponies had disappeared, and instead he saw Discord smiling at him.

As he wiped the tears from his eyes, Flareon said, "You're right Discord, I don't belong here. I'm just a tool to them. They don't care about me at all. I just...want to go back home."

After Discord help him back up, he snapped his fingers and returned Flareon's horn and wings. "Allow me to help you with that." As Discord clapped his hands, a door with a lock on it suddenly appeared before them. "All you have to do is use your fire magic to melt the lock on that door, and after that's done, you will be able to go through it, and return home to your world." As Flareon nodded his head, he then turned to face the door and began to use his fire magic on the lock. As it slowly began to melt, everything suddenly went white. As Flareon looked around, he couldn't see anything in the white void, except for his body. Soon after, a bright figure appeared before him. Unfortunately, it was so bright Flareon couldn't tell who or what it was.

"Don't let yourself be fooled!" it yelled, "See through the lies and deceit!" A few seconds later, the figure unleashed a bright flash of light, and soon after, Flareon found himself back in the maze and quickly discovered that instead of a locked door, he was using his fire magic on Alexei's statue. Also, Discord's smile wasn't that of a happy one, it was that of an evil, mischievous one. As Flareon stopped using his magic on the statue, he turned to face Discord and shot a fireball directly at him, sending Discord flying into the maze wall.

"Too bad Discord, looks like your plan failed! You lose!" he yelled happily as Discord was in disbelief about how Flareon managed snap out of his trance. Unfortunately, Discord began to smile. "What's so funny? You have finally realized your failure?"

Suddenly, Discord pointed to his right and replied, "Sorry Flareon, looks like you were too late!" As Flareon turned to his right, he noticed glowing cracks appearing all over Alexei's statue, and a few seconds later, it exploded as black flames quickly engulfed the area. After the flames dispersed, a large dragon was seen standing before them. It soon began to look at its body and started to flex its legs, arms, and wings. As the dragon looked around, he first spotted Discord on his right.

"Why if it isn't my dear old friend Discord? How long has it been since we last met?" the dragon asked.

"It's been about 10,000 years Lord Alexei," Discord replied.

"I see...so I'm guessing those pesky Elemental Warriors have been dead for quite some time? That's good to hear. It looks like my domination of Equestria will likely continue without any problems," Alexei said. As he looked around, Alexei couldn't believe his eyes as he spotted a familiar pony standing before him. "Nova! Are you here to stop me once again?!" After closer inspection, Alexei realized that this pony was not his arch nemesis Nova. "No...wait, you're not him. Who are you?" As Alexei closed his eyes and pressed down on his temple, he said, "Discord...who is this and why do I sense the same, fowl magic I remember sensing from Nova?"

As Discord took a few steps closer to Alexei, he replied, "That pony is the chosen one Flareon. He has the same type of fire magic as Nova did. Also, Flareon was once a human that was brought into this world to defeat you."

Unfortunately, Alexei wasn't able to respond as Flareon quickly flew into the air. "I'm not letting you get away...prepare to die Alexei!" Flareon yelled as he quickly began to shot fireballs at Alexei until he was completely consumed in fire. "I can't believe I did it...I defeated Alexei." Soon after, a claw come out of the fire and quickly grabbed hold of Flareon. A few seconds later, as the smoke from fire slowly disappeared, he saw Alexei smiling menacingly at him. There was not a single scratch on his body even after Flareon's barrage of fireballs.

Alexei began to shake his head in disappointment. "Was that really the best you could do? You may look like him and have the same power as him, but your not as strong as Nova was, not even close. The chosen one? You don't deserve that title after that pathetic attempt to kill me." Even though things were looking bad, Flareon refused to give up and shot another barrage of fireballs directly at Alexei's face. Sadly for Flareon, nothing had changed as Alexei's was still unfazed by his attacks. "That wasn't very nice...was it? Let me show you what true power really is!"

Soon after, Alexei's grip on him tightened as black flames began to emit from his fist engulfing Flareon. As he screamed in agony, Flareon felt every inch of his body being burned, including his bones, and even his very soul. The pain Flareon was feeling was nothing like he ever experienced in his life. Flareon was soon beginning to lose consciousness. Was he going to die here? Would he ever see Twilight's smile again?

Suddenly, the black flames stopped. "So...this is all the power I have now? It seems being sealed for 10,000 years has also dulled my power. Curse those darn Elemental Warriors!" Alexei yelled, but then he began to smile. "No matter though, I will conquer Equestria one day and no one, not even this weak little Nova clone, will be able to stop me!" Alexei proclaimed as he tossed Flareon into the air and laughed as he landed on the ground before him. "Do me a favor Flareon...please don't die before I regain all my power. I want to personally enjoy breaking every bone in your body as all your friends watch you die by my hands. Hopefully by then you will be a worthy enough challenge for me as Nova once was." He then turned to face Discord and said, "I think it's about time we returned home. There nothing left to do here...come Discord, let us depart." Flareon was barely awake as he could only watch as Alexei and Discord stepped into a black portal Alexei has summoned, and soon after, they disappeared. A few seconds later, Flareon finally lost consciousness and fainted. Meanwhile in another location, a black portal appeared and Alexei and Discord stepped out. As Alexei began to admire the scenery around him, he smiled and said, "It's good to be back home. Even after 10,000 years Death Valley looks as great as I remember it." Death Valley, also nicknamed the 'Land of Death', was once the home of Alexei and his army, including Discord, during the Dark Ages. It is located directly east from Canterlot, which during the Dark Ages, was the home of the Elemental Warriors, Princess Estellise, and their army of ponies. Soon after, Alexei and Discord went into a nearby cave, and as they walked inside, Alexei looked up and smiled at the full moon in the night sky. As they reached a giant stone throne, Alexei quickly sat down in it. "Even after all this time, my throne remains as perfect as I remember."

As Alexei was getting comfortable, Discord asked, "My lord...you mentioned before that your power has been dulled. How long will it take for you to regain all your power back?"

Alexei began to stroke his chin. "It may take about 5 years or so for me to return to full power, but do not fret my friend, I'm in no hurry. This world will soon know the terrifying darkness once again!" Alexei laughed as he and Discord decided to celebrate being revived with a bountiful feast.

Later on, Flareon was walking in a white void trying to figure out where he was. "What is this place? Wait...wasn't I here before when that bright figure that was speaking to me?" At that moment, the same bright figure appeared before him, but the brightness from it quickly dulled as Flareon was finally able to see the figure really was. It was a female alicorn.

Soon after, it began to speak to him. "The dragon of darkness has finally been revived, but I believe you will be able to defeat him. In time, you will gain new powers which will help you in your battle against Alexei and the trials he will send to test you. I have absolute confidence that you will succeed. Good luck Flareon!" the alicorn proclaimed as it suddenly began to glow brightly.

Flareon quickly used his right hoof to shield his face from the brightness as the white void around him began to waver. He could feel himself slowly begin to lose consciousness. "Wait...who are you? How do you know my name?!"

The alicorn simply smiled and replied, "Everything will be reveled when the time is right." Unfortunately, Flareon was unable to say anything else as the alicorn disappeared and soon after, he lost consciousness again. Suddenly, Flareon began to hear voices. It seemed they were talking about him. When he opened his eyes, and got up, Flareon saw Twilight, Spike, and even Princess Celestia standing near his bed. When he looked around, Flareon noticed he was in the Ponyville Hospital.

Suddenly, Twilight ran over and began to hug him desperately. She quickly began to cry deeply. "Thank goodness you're ok! I was worried that...you would never wake up again."

As Flareon patted her on the head, he asked, "How long have I been out?"

Princess Celestia replied, "You've been asleep for three days. I'm relieved that you're ok...everyone has been worried about you." She then pointed to the wall and Flareon saw that he had apparently received get-well gifts from almost everyone in Ponyville. Unfortunately, Flareon's chest tightened as he began to remember what had happened to him.

"Everyone...I'm sorry, this is all my fault. I let Discord trick me into unlocking the seal on Alexei's statue and I wasn't able to defeat Alexei as they managed to escape. I understand if you don't want me around anymore...I failed. I'm just a useless pony that doesn't deserve to be called the chosen one."

Before he was able to say anything else, Celestia interrupted him and replied, "Flareon...you don't need to worry. What happened, has happened, and we must move on. Even if you would have stopped Discord, Alexei was going to be revived at some point anyway. The prophecy has foretold that Alexei would return and that you would defeat him. There is no doubt about it...you will defiantly be able to accomplish that. We all believe in you!"

Rainbow Dash smiled and said, "We're you friends Flareon. We've got your back. You can count on us!" As everyone cheered in agreement, Flareon broke down in tears.

"Everyone...you're the best friends I could ever ask for...thank you, so much...for everything!" Flareon replied as he wiped away the tears from his eyes.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash held out her right hoof in the middle of the group, and soon after, everyone joined in, including Flareon. "On the count of three, let's yell out...never give up!" she said.

Rainbow Dash counted down and everyone yelled out together, "Never give up!" Suddenly, Flareon's body began to emit small flames, and soon after, a soft shockwave come out of him, dispersing the flames.

Flareon smiled as he flexed his hooves. "My fire magic has become more powerful. She was right...I'm going to get stronger."

Everyone was completely confused as to what happened. "Who are you talking about Flareon? What just happened...what was that all about?" Twilight asked.

As Flareon laid his back on the pillow, he closed his eyes and smiled. "Don't worry Twilight...it's ok. Let's just say that everything is going to be just fine." It didn't take long before Flareon fell back asleep. Even though Alexei and Discord had been revived, Flareon wasn't worried. He had his friends and that's what truly mattered.


	2. A Princess Is Born

Chapter 2  
A Princess Is Born

The ancient prophecy states that the child of the chosen one will become the next princess of Equestria. Even before she is born, her destiny is already set. It has now been nine months, and it wouldn't be long before Flareon's wife, Twilight Sparkle, would give birth to the new future princess. One morning in Golden Oak Library, Flareon was busy putting some books back on the bookshelf, while Twilight was on the floor reading a book. Suddenly, without warning, Twilight began to cringe. Right away, she knew it was time. "Flareon," she said desperately, "The baby is coming!"

At first Flareon didn't fully comprehend what she had just said, but when he did, Flareon yelled out, "Wait...what? The baby is coming?!" Unfortunately, he obviously stopped using his magic to levitate the group of books above him. As the group of books fell on his head, he quickly fell down, and soon after, Flareon poked his head out of the book pile. "Spike...Spike! We have an emergency!"

As Spike quickly ran into the room, he yelled, "Emergency...what emergency?!"

Flareon then ran over to Spike and began to shake his vigorously. "The baby is coming!"

After Flareon let go out Spike, he also began to panic. "What do we do Flareon...what do we do?!" A few seconds later, in their panic states, Flareon and Spike were trying to figure out what to do next as they ran around in circles. Soon after, they crashed into each other. As Flareon and Spike were rubbing their sore heads, Twilight was beginning to lose her patience.

"Get me to the hospital...now!" she yelled. Thanks to Twilight, Flareon and Spike knew what they had to do.

"Spike, send a letter to Princess Celestia. Tell her that the baby is coming and to meet us at the Ponyville hospital. Meanwhile, I'll bring Twilight there," Flareon said as Spike quickly headed upstairs. Flareon then went outside and soon after, he returned with a cart. As Flareon lifted Twilight slowly onto it, he turned to her and said, "Don't worry Twilight...just leave this to me!" As she looked at him, Twilight gave him a weak smile. A few seconds later, Flareon was running as fast as he could while pulling Twilight in the cart behind him. "Out of the way! The baby is coming! This is an emergency!" Every pony in Ponyville quickly became excited that the future princess of Equestria was about to be born and began to head for the Ponyville Hospital. Later on, at the hospital, a large crowd of ponies were trying to enter it, but were being held back by a nurse that was blocking the entrance.

"Everyone, I'm sorry, but we can't allow all of you in here," the nurse said. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy appeared as they pushed themselves to the front of the crowd and tried to enter the hospital.

When the nurse attempted to stop them, Rainbow Dash yelled, "Please move...we're their friends. Luckily for them, the nurse allowed them to pass since they were close acquaintances of Flareon and Twilight. After Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy reached the room where Twilight was, they saw the rest of their friends, along Spike, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Shining Amor, Cadance, and Twilight's parents, waiting near the door. All of them looked worried and anxious. Meanwhile, inside the room, the nurses and doctor were busy preparing for the birth of the baby. Twilight was lying on a bed.

"It's ok Twilight...I'm here for you," Flareon said as he was holding her right hoof. All Twilight was able to do was smile at him. A couple of minutes later, a baby's crying could be heard from inside the room.

"Congratulations Twilight Sparkle, you've given birth to a female alicorn," the doctor said. Right as he gave the baby to her, she stopped crying and began to laugh happily.

"I can't believe it...I'm a dad now," Flareon said as he began to cry along with Twilight. Soon after, a nurse opened the door and everyone came inside.

"Oh my...she's beautiful. Congratulations you two," Celestia replied.

"Our daughter's a mother now...I'm so happy!" Twilight's mother said as she broke down in tears and began to hug her husband. As everyone began to admire the baby and congratulated them, Flareon noticed something surprising. It was about their babies' star cutie mark.

"She already has her cutie mark. Wait...are babies usually born with them?" Flareon asked.

"No...usually they aren't, but for me, my sister, and your daughter, our destiny's were already set for us. We were also born with our cutie marks," Celestia explained.

"Princess Celestia...I have a favor to ask. Me and Twilight have agreed that...we want Solana to go to school in Ponyville instead of your school for gifted unicorns in Canterlot. It's just that we want to raise Solana and not to be separated from her," Flareon asked desperately while Twilight nodded in agreement.

Luckily for them, Celestia smiled and replied, "It's ok...I understand you two. Solana will go to the Ponyville Schoolhouse when she gets older."

Soon after, Twilight looked at him and said, "What should we call her?"

Flareon was shocked that Twilight asked him to decide on naming their daughter. "Wait...you want me to decide? Um...ok," Flareon said as he began to ponder. A few seconds later he decided on a name. "How about Solana?"

Twilight smiled and then looked at the baby, "Solana...I like that name. What do you think Solana?"

The baby quickly began to laugh and giggle in agreement to the name. Suddenly, her horn began to shine and Flareon started to float in the air.

"Ah...I knew she would like it," Flareon replied. Soon after, he was sent flying into the ceiling, and a few seconds later, Flareon fell back down. A dazed Flareon then tried to recover from the crash. "That's my girl!" Flareon said as he fell to the ground again. Everyone, including Solana, burst into laughter. A few hours later, everyone had eventually left, but Flareon decided he wasn't going to leave Twilight's side. "The doctor said you've got to stay here until tomorrow, but don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," Flareon said as he was laying down on a couch reading a book to Twilight. Solana was sleeping soundly in a nearby crib.

"Thanks Flareon," Twilight replied as she continued to listen to him read. Hours later, in the middle of the night, she turned to Flareon, who was also unable to sleep. "Flareon...I'm happy that I met you. I'm glad that...you came here. I love you so much!"

Flareon looked at Twilight who had tears in her eyes and replied, "I love you too." Soon after, they both were able to fall asleep. The next morning, the doctor did a last-minute check-up on Twilight and Solana.

"Well Twilight, it seems your baby are in perfect health. You can return home now," the doctor said. Soon after, Flareon and Twilight, who was carrying Solana in a baby carrier, finally were able to leave the hospital. When they got outside, they were met by a large crowd of ecstatic ponies who quickly surrounded Flareon and Twilight and began to admire their baby.

"Oh my...she's so cute. The name Solana is such a beautiful name. She has your eyes Twilight. Solana will be a fine princess one day...I'm sure of it. Congratulations Flareon and Twilight. I'm so happy for you two." A few minutes later, Flareon and Twilight were presented with a huge mound of presents such as a crib, a blanket, a pillow, diapers, toys, and other baby stuff. Flareon then got a cart and put the presents on top of it.

"Everyone...thank you so much for all the presents," Twilight replied as she, Solana, and Flareon with the presents in tow, slowly headed back home to Golden Oak Library. Soon after, they went inside. "This is your new home Solana," she said. Flareon then went upstairs to put the crib and other baby stuff in their room. As Flareon came back downstairs, he saw Twilight and Spike playing with Solana. Flareon walked up to Twilight and kissed her.

"Twilight, Spike...let's try our best to raise Solana and make sure she becomes a pony deserving the title of a princess," Flareon said as they looked at Solana who was laughing happily at them. Flareon, Twilight, Spike, and Owlowiscious, had added a new addition to the family. Solana, the alicorn who is one day going to be the princess of Equestria, was very lucky to have such a loving family.


	3. Shadow Showdown

Chapter 3  
Shadow Showdown

After the birth of their daughter Solana, Flareon was going to do everything he could to protect her, and that meant Flareon had to be ready for anything. Flareon remembered how the alicorn in that dream told him that he would soon be faced with difficult tests that Alexei would send his way. After his fire magic was strengthened, Flareon decided he was going to learn to master it, Flareon knew he had to get stronger. Luckily for him, Applejack knew the perfect place for some target practice, Apple Acres. After setting up some wood targets painted with bull's-eyes on them, Flareon decided to get to work. A couple of minutes later, after a few perfectly destroyed targets, Flareon began to realize something. "Either I can shoot fireballs in rapid succession, which are very fast, though they aren't as powerful as normal ones, or I can charge them up and shot them as big fireballs which are stronger, but they do take longer to shoot. Before I was only able to shot regular fireballs, but now I can shot both fast and strong fireballs along with normal ones. It's a good thing too because we don't know what Alexei is going to send after me. I have to be prepared for anything. I won't let anything bad happen to Twilight, Solana, you, or anyone else, including my friends. I'll protect everyone the best I can!"

Applejack walked over and patted him on the back. "Remember Flareon...we got your back. Friends always stick together through thick and thin," Applejack said as she began to walk into her house, "Come on in...I'll fix you up a cold glass of apple juice. You looked parched." Soon after, Flareon followed her into the house. Meanwhile, in Death Valley, Alexei was pacing back and forth flexing his claws. As he stopped, Alexei began to smile mischievously.

"Yes...very nice. It seems I've regained some of my lost power. Let's see...what should I do with it? I know...how about I summon some shadow dragons from my army?" Alexei then began to gather power into his hands as they began to glow dark black. A few seconds later, he fired that power into the ground before him. Soon after, twenty-five small winged dragons and twenty-five big wingless dragons appeared before him. When the dragons saw Alexei, they began to bow before him.

"We are at your command lord Alexei. What do you wish for us to do?" they said together. Soon after, Discord appeared in the cave.

"Master Alexei, I found out where Flareon is living. He's in Ponyville!" Discord said.

Alexei began to laugh. "Ponyville you say? He's not living in Canterlot? Flareon is just like him. Nova didn't like to live in royalty either, he preferred to live among the pheasants he called friends. It's such a waste if you ask me," he then turns to the group of dragons, "My loyal dragons, here's what I want you to do for me. Go to Ponyville and destroy the place as much as you can to get the chosen one's attention. Once he shows up...kill him." The dragons saluted Alexei and quickly headed for Ponyville.

As they were leaving, Discord turned to Alexei and asked, "Your plan is to kill him?"

Alexei sat down in his throne and replied, "No, not kill him...it's more like a test for him. You see Discord, if those dragons kill Flareon, then that would have proved he was never a worthy challenge for me. I'm actually hoping he defeats my shadow dragons, it would be such a shame if Flareon would to be killed by those worthless tools. By the time my full power returns to me, I want to enjoy killing Flareon in front of all his friends and family. It would be perfect revenge for what Nova did to me!" Soon after, Alexei and Discord began to laugh as it could be heard from outside the cave. Meanwhile, back at Apple Acres, Flareon and Applejack had come back outside.

"Hey Applejack...thanks for helping me," he said. Unfortunately, Applejack didn't have time to respond as they suddenly heard screaming coming from town. "Come on, let's go!" Flareon said as they hurried into town. When they got there, Flareon and Applejack where shock to find a bunch of dragons vandalizing buildings, stands, and houses. It was total chaos as ponies everywhere were trying to flee. As Applejack went to help the ponies escape, Flareon quickly decided this had to stop. "Hey you jerks! Leave our town alone!" Soon after, the dragons noticed Flareon.

"Well...well, what do we have here?" One of the dragons replied, "You finally decided to show yourself! You ready to die chosen one?!"

Flareon then spit on the ground and smiled. "Bring it on!" A few seconds later, all fifty dragons began to attack Flareon at the same time. After a few well placed fireballs attacks, Flareon began to realize something important. The rapid-fire fireballs weren't powerful enough to defeat the strong wingless dragons, while the big fireballs weren't fast enough to hit the fast winged dragons. He was going to have to use the rapid-fire fireballs on the fast dragons and the big fireballs on the strong dragons. Unfortunately for Flareon, the dragons weren't giving him a lot of time to think as they relentlessly kept attacking him one after another. They were actually trying to kill him, but Flareon wasn't about to give up. "It's time to show you guys what I can really do!" As Flareon pumped himself up, he quickly began defeating every dragon that attacked him with perfectly aimed fireballs. Suddenly, a dragon came behind Flareon and grabbed him. At that moment, the dragons quickly began to rush him. Flareon then used his right hoof to elbow the dragon in the face and was able to get out of the way as the dragons soon crashed into their brethren. As they tried to recover, Flareon flew into the air and charged up his fire magic as much as possible. He then shot a huge fireball directly at the dragons, instantly defeating them. As the black flames near the spot where they once were disappeared, the ponies that were hiding and watching Flareon battle the dragons, quickly came out and rushed him. They then began to throw Flareon into the air while cheering his name. After they let him down, Flareon was quickly met by his friends.

"Holy cow Flareon...the way you totally owned those dragon jerks was so awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"What did I tell you Flareon? I told you Apple Acres was the best place to practice some good, old-fashioned target practice!" Applejack replied.

"I have to admit...the way you use your fire magic is so elegant and beautiful. Thanks to you, I've got some new ideas for some dresses and hats!" Rarity happily said.

Suddenly, a voice from behind them. "What do you think Solana? Did your dad do a great job?" When they turned around, they saw Twilight carrying Solana on her back. She then walked up him, and soon after, they kissed as Solana began to clap and giggle. "Thanks for saving Ponyville Flareon, we knew you could do it!" Twilight said.

As they began to talk about Flareon's battle against the dragons, Solana looked at him and said, "Daddy!" Everyone quickly gasped in amazement.

"Oh my god!" Twilight exclaimed, "Solana said her first word!"

Flareon smiled and patter Solana on her head. "That's my girl!" Soon after, Pinkie Pie decided they should have a picnic in the park to celebrate Flareon and Solana's accomplishment. Even though he had just saved Ponyville from Alexei's shadow dragons, Solana saying her first word was what made it so much more important. As they began walking to the park, Flareon knew that Alexei was going to send more powerful dragons after him. With his wife, daughter, and friends behind him, Flareon was ready to face anything Alexei sent his way.


	4. A Train To Stop

Chapter 4  
A Train To Stop

As Alexei's right hand man and the only dragon Alexei has ever trusted, Discord is allowed to do pretty much anything he wants, and is free to cause as much chaos and mischief as his twisted heart desires. One day, Discord found the perfect opportunity. It all began at a train yard where a group of construction ponies were attempting to lower some containers of glowing, pink liquid into some train cars. The boss pony looked up at the pony using the crane to lower the containers into the train cars. "Careful with those containers Mac!" he yelled, "They have very unstable magic inside. One crack in them and this entire train yard is going to be one giant poisoned cesspool. Now this train here will be heading for the science lab in Fillydelphia, just past Ponyville. Let's hope the train makes it there without any problems." Meanwhile, Discord was hiding behind a wall listening to what the pony had just said.

"What do we have here? Some containers with unstable magic?" Discord said as he began to laugh. "Let's see...so it's heading for Fillydelphia? It would be such a shame if this train would crash near Ponyville!" Discord then quickly sneaked past the construction ponies. Soon after, he used his chaos magic on the train which spread to every train car, including the pilot, and corrupted it. As quick as he could, Discord hid again as he watched his devious plan unfold. A couple of minutes later, after the pony in the crane lowered every container into the train cars, he jumped down and joined his fellow workers.

"Great work guys!" the boss said, "Now all that's left is to wait for the train conductors to finish eating their lunch as they can take that train to Fillydelphia." Unfortunately for them, Discord snapped his fingers, and soon after, the train suddenly began to move on its own. The group of ponies quickly began to realize the train was now moving down the train tracks.

As they watched the train leave, the boss pony said as he rubbed his forehead, "It looks like those guys finished their lunch early. Well then...I guess we're done here." At that moment, the two conductors that were thought to be on the train, had appeared before them. The boss right away began to realize something had gone wrong. He then turned to a pony worker and yelled, "Send a letter to Princess Celestia. Tell her there's an out of control train heading right for Ponyville!" A few seconds later, Discord began to laugh as he basked in the glory of his brilliant work.

"Have fun Flareon! Let's see how you deal with a run-away train carrying unstable magic. I hope you like riddles!" Discord said. Soon after, he disappeared. A few hours later, Flareon with Twilight holding tight on his back, were seen flying high through the air near some train tracks. After Princess Celestia had received the letter from the train yard that told of the run-away train containing unstable magic that was heading for Ponyville, she immediately sent a letter to Golden Oak Library asking Flareon and Twilight to stop the train before it crashed near Ponyville. The catch was they couldn't use magic on the train or it would react with the unstable magic and cause an explosion. They also couldn't destroy the train either. Flareon and Twilight were going to have to stop the train manually and that would mean getting into the pilot and activating the brake. She also noted that this might be the work of Discord and told them to be careful. It didn't take long before they spotted the train. Flareon quickly began to fly along side at and soon made it to the pilot and attempted to enter the door, but suddenly, the door disappeared. When Flareon went to open the window, it also disappeared. He then slowed down and tried to enter the door in the next train car, but it also disappeared when he got near it. Soon after, every window and door on all the train cars vanished. Twilight then tapped him on the shoulder.

"Let's try going to the back! Hopefully we can enter there! she yelled. He once again slowed down and when they got to the back of the last train car, Flareon was surprised when he was able to open it. After they got inside, the door suddenly closed behind them and disappeared. When Flareon and Twilight looked around, they noticed the all the glowing containers of unstable magic, and also, the windows had reappeared. "This is defiantly the work of Discord. He wasn't going to let us stop this train that easily. We should probably expect more traps ahead." Flareon and Twilight then ran to the door of the fifth train car, but they were unable to open it.

"No use," Flareon said as he tried to open the door once more, "This door isn't going to open. How are we supposed to move on?" At that moment, words began to appear on the door as if an invisible person was writing on it. Flareon quickly began to read what it said aloud. "Who are the two brothers who live on opposite sides of the road yet never see each other?" Soon after, Flareon replied, "Wait...what is this? A riddle? Seriously...a riddle?" He put his right hoof on his face. "I hate Discord." Twilight however, was actually happy.

"Oh I love riddles!" she exclaimed, "Well then...shall we solve it?" They looked at the riddle for a few seconds trying to figure out what the answer was.

"Is it...ears?" Flareon asked. Suddenly, a big 'X' appeared where the riddle was, and soon after, they train jerked forward and began to pick up speed.

"It seems it you get the answer wrong, the train goes faster," Twilight said, "We've got to be careful." After the X vanished, the riddle returned. A few seconds later, Twilight eye's began to glow. "The answer is...eyes!" she yelled. At that moment, a big check mark appeared, and the door quickly opened. Twilight then looked at him and smiled as she held out her left hoof in front of her. "After you Flareon."

As they walked to the next train car, the door closed behind them and vanished just like the last one. Flareon then replied, "Twilight...I think you should handle answering these riddles. You're smarter than me after all."

She then smiled at him. "Oh Flareon...it doesn't matter how smart you are, anyone can solve a riddle if they just think hard enough and use their imagination!" Soon after, they made it to the end of the fourth train car and just like before, words began to appear on the door.

"It's been around for millions of years, but it's no more than a month old. What is it?" Flareon read aloud. They quickly tried to solve the riddle. Even though he was trying, Flareon couldn't figure out what it meant. He thought of an answer, but Flareon was scared that if he got it wrong again, the train would go even faster. Flareon then shook his head signaling to Twilight he didn't know the answer.

Twilight smiled and yelled, "The moon!" Right away, a check mark appeared, and the door opened. After they got into the third train car, the door behind them closed and disappeared. If they had any hope of stopping this train, it was Twilight.

As they got to the door, Flareon began to read aloud the riddle. "There are four brothers in this world that were all born together. The first runs and never wearies. The second eats and is never full. The third drinks and is always thirsty. The fourth sings a song that is never good." Once again, Flareon had no idea, but he was worried because Twilight was by his side. She defiantly had this in the bag. Unfortunately, this time, Flareon noticed Twilight wasn't smiling.

"This riddle has a total of fours answers," she said, "I think...I got it." Twilight then took a deep breath. "The answer is...water, electricity, earth, wind!" To his surprise, a X appeared, and the train quickly jerked forward and picked up speed. She then hit herself in the face with her right hoof embarrassed. "I messed up. It's water, fire, earth, wind." A check mark then appeared and they went through the door into the second train car. They were very close. All they had to do was answer the last riddle and they would get into the pilot and activate the brake. As they were walking towards the door, the train went over a hill and went airborne. It then fell back onto the tracks. The sudden impact of the landing was so hard that Twilight lost her balance and went tumbling into a nearby window. She then crashed through it and began falling towards the ground. Luckily for her, Flareon managed to grab her right hoof just in time.

"Hold on Twilight!" Flareon yelled, "I got you!" Soon after, he managed to pull her back inside.

As they both tried to catch their break, Twilight looked him and smiled. "Thanks for saving me."

Flareon then helped Twilight back up. "Don't worry about, I'm just glad your ok." However, when Twilight looked outside, she noticed familiar scenery.

"Oh no!" she yelled, "We're close to Ponyville! Let's hurry!" As Twilight ran towards the pilot door, Flareon looked outside, and also noticed familiar scenery. She was right, they were almost near Ponyville. They had to stop the train now or else it would be too late. When he joined Twilight, she was beginning to read the last riddle.

"What fastens two ponies yet touches only one?" she said. A minute later, Flareon could tell the pressure was staring to get to Twilight as she was beginning to cry. "I'm sorry, but...I don't know the answer." He softly put his right hoof on her back.

"The answer is...a wedding ring," Flareon replied calmly. As the door began to open, he smiled and said, "Remember the day we got married? When Princess Celestia gave us our wedding rings? Mine joins you to me, and yours joins me to you. They symbolize our marriage and our commitment to each other."

Twilight quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thanks Flareon...I knew you could do it!" Soon after, they entered the pilot and found the brake.

As Flareon and Twilight quickly grabbed hold of it, he said, "Alright on the count of three. One, two...three!" Right away, they yanked the brake back and the train began to stop. Suddenly, it began to tilt right as the train was rounding a corner. Luckily for them, the train fell back down onto the tracks as it finally stopped. Flareon and Twilight had done it. They managed to stop the train and saved Ponyville from being poisoned by the unstable magic. As they got off the train, Flareon and Twilight were quickly stormed by a large crowd of ponies who began to congratulate them. Soon after, the crowd parted and Princess Celestia appeared before them smiling.

"I knew you two could pull it off! Well done!" she exclaimed as the crowd began to cheer. Meanwhile, on top of the Ponyville Train Station, Discord was sitting in the air, eating a bag of popcorn.

"So...they managed to stop the train?" Discord said as he finished eating and threw the bag away. "I guess he's not called the chosen one for nothing, however, I'm just getting started. Just you wait Flareon...I've got a lot more tricks up my sleeve!" After he finished laughing, Discord disappeared. In the end, Flareon and Twilight successfully foiled Discord's plan and saved Ponyville. Unfortunately for them, this wouldn't be the last time they had to deal with him.


	5. Baby Come Back

Chapter 5  
Baby Come Back

Usually for parenting, the mother is better at taking care of the child. You can call it a mother's instincts, intuition, or love, but you can't argue with the fact that mothers just have a better ways with babies. This was no different for Flareon and Twilight. She was clearly better at taking care of Solana than him, however, Flareon would soon be tasked with babysitting Solana by himself. It all began one, Friday morning in Ponyville. Twilight had just received a message from Princess Celestia. It said that she needed her and Spike to travel to Fillydelphia to complete an errand. Unfortunately for Flareon, that meant he had to babysit Solana while they were away.  
As Twilight and Spike were getting ready to leave, she kissed Solana on her forehead, and put her back inside the crib. Twilight then turned to Flareon. "We'll be back Sunday afternoon. Are you sure you'll be ok alone? You don't need me to get a babysitter?"

Flareon smiled and replied, "Of course I'll be ok. You can count on me! I mean...I've been doing a great job taking care of Solana."

She looked at him seriously. "You changed her diaper...once." Unfortunately, Twilight didn't have time to worry as she and Spike were running late. They said their goodbyes to Flareon and Solana as they quickly left the house. Soon after, Flareon turned around to Solana, who was sleeping soundly. He then went to her crib and moved the blanket over her.

"Don't worry Solana, I may be new at being a dad, but I'm going to try my best to raise you to be the best princess Equestria has ever had," Flareon said to Solana. He then went downstairs and returned with a book. As Flareon sat on his bed and began reading, he hoped that the weekend would go smoothly. Luckily for him, Friday and Saturday went by without any problems. He Solana for a walk a couple of times to visit Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity, fed her, gave her a bath, changed her diapers, and played with her. The fact that it was going this smoothly was too good to be true. The next Saturday night however, Solana had trouble sleeping which forced Flareon to stay up all night, but Sunday morning, she had finally gone to sleep. After placing Solana in her crib, Flareon moved the blanket over her and said, "This week has been pretty fun hasn't it? I told Twilight she had nothing to worry about. Now all we have to do is to wait for her to come back." Unfortunately, Flareon didn't get any sleep last night. He then slowly laid his head on the crib and feel sleep. A couple of hours later, he awoke to an empty crib. "Solana...Solana?" Flareon said as he looked around the room, "Where are you?" He then ran downstairs and searched the main room, side room, bathroom, and garage. She was nowhere to be found. As if things weren't already bad, a letter suddenly appeared before him. Flareon opened the letter and began to read it. "Dear Flareon, me and Spike have finished our mission in Fillydelphia and will be retuning home today at 3pm. See you soon!" At that moment, Flareon's heart skipped at beat as he slowly turned his head to the clock and saw that it was 12pm. "Twilight is going to be home in three hours!" Flareon yelled as he began to panic, "I've got to find Solana or...I don't want to think about what Twilight is going to do to me." He then looked at the front door and it suddenly hit him. "Wait...Solana didn't go outside...did she? I'd better check around town just in case." Soon after, Flareon left the house and began his search for Solana. A couple of minutes later, he spotted Rainbow Dash by her catapult. She apparently was placing a white object into it, activated the catapult, and sent it flying through the air. The worst part, it looked like Solana. Flareon then rushed over to Rainbow Dash and began to yell, "Rainbow Dash...what are you doing?! Solana is just a baby! She's not old enough to be flying!" Unfortunately, she wasn't able to respond as Flareon quickly flew after Solana. He followed her to a metalwork factory and saw Solana fall into an open window. Flareon then flew through the window after her. What he was now witnessing froze him in pure terror. Flareon was seeing Solana lying on a conveyor belt and being molded with scraps into a metal scrap box. As it finally made it off the conveyor belt, Flareon flew to it and began to cry. "Solana...I'm so sorry. This is all my fault!" He then started to get angry with rage. "I swear...Rainbow Dash is going to get it!" At that moment, a pony worker can over to him.

"Hey kid...are you ok?" he asked.

Flareon quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and replied, "Oh yeah...I'm just fine. My daughter was just turned into a metal box which Twilight is going to use to bash me on the head!"

The pony looked at him confused. "What are you talking about? Wait...do you mean that pillow that came out of nowhere and landed on the conveyor belt? Seriously kid...are you sure you're ok?" When Flareon looked closer at the metal box, he noticed part of a pillow sticking out of it. Apparently, Rainbow Dash had used a pillow as a test flight subject and he mistook it as Solana.

"Oh thank God!" Flareon sighed as he threw the metal box aside, "I was just hallucinating." Soon after, Flareon flew out of the factory and continued his search for Solana. He searched every inch of Ponyville from the schoolhouse, Carousel Boutique, Fluttershy's cottage, Sugarcube Corner, town square, the bowling alley, the park, Ben's Breakfast, even Everfree Forest, but still, Flareon didn't find her. He then asked his friends to spread the word and soon after, everyone in Ponyville was searching for the missing Solana. While searching town square again, Flareon noticed from the clock that it was now 2:55pm. Twilight would be returning home any minute to find their daughter was gone. Flareon knew he had to face the music and submit himself to whatever Twilight was going to do to him. A minute later, Flareon arrived at their house. "I failed as a father...Twilight is never going to forgive me," Flareon said as he began to open the door. When he went inside, Flareon was completely surprised at what he was seeing. Solana was sitting on the floor right in front of him. "Solana!" Flareon yelled as he ran to pick her up, "I was looking everywhere for you!" He then noticed she had food around her mouth. "Wait...food, where you in the kitchen?" When he went to investigate, Flareon saw the fridge was open and there was food lying on the ground. At that moment, it suddenly hit him. He never checked the kitchen. "I'm such an idiot, I forgot to heck the kitchen!" However, Flareon knew he didn't have time to fret over it as he quickly put the food back in the fridge, and cleaned Solana's face. Soon after, the door opened and Twilight and Spike came inside.

"Flareon! We're back!" Twilight said as she put her bag on the floor. At that moment, Flareon brought Solana into the room.

Solana then looked at Twilight and said, "Mommy!" Everyone quickly gasped in amazement as Twilight ran over to Solana and began to hug her.

"Solana said her second word...she called me mommy!" Twilight exclaimed. She looked at Flareon and said, "Did you have any problems while we were away. Did everything go ok?"

Flareon smiled and replied, "Oh...yeah, everything went by perfectly. No problems at all! I told you there was no reason to worry." For some reason though, Flareon felt like he was forgetting something important. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Rainbow Dash came inside.

"Flareon...we didn't find Solana yet," she said. Rainbow Dash then spotted Solana near them. "Oh...I guess you finally found her. Everyone was so worried. I'll tell them to call of the search. Hey Twilight and Spike, you're back! Well, I'll see you guys soon ok? Bye!" As she left, Twilight turned her head slowly to Flareon. She didn't look happy.

"Flareon," Twilight said in an angry tone, "What was Rainbow Dash talking about?"

He began to sweat nervously and replied, "Oh...nothing. Just me, Solana, and everyone pony in Ponyville playing hide-and-seek. It was so much fun, you guys should join us next time! Well...would you look at the time! I think I'll just go play a couple of games at the bowling alley. Bye!" As quickly as he could, Flareon flew in the air and left the house. Later on, when he returned home, Flareon explained to Twilight what had actually happened. Luckily for him, she was relieved to find out it was just a minor mistake and agreed that he did a great job babysitting Solana.


	6. Sting Like A Fluttershy

Chapter 6  
Sting Like A Fluttershy

Flareon was trying his best to do everything he could to help the residents of Ponyville. Now that Alexei was revived and how he already tried to destroy the town once, they had to be prepared. That's how Flareon got the idea to teach the Ponyville Residents be able to defend themselves when needed. One pony that desperately needed his help came to mind...Fluttershy. If there was one pony that needed to toughen up, it was her. After finally convincing a reluctant Fluttershy, Flareon decided to bring her to the park to train. He used a punching bag, push-up, sit-ups, running and flying laps, lifting weights, and Flareon's invention called the Hit-O'-Matic, which rates a ponies' physical power from 1-1000 by hitting the cushion on it, to help train Fluttershy. Unfortunately, she failed every training method he tried. "I'm sorry Fluttershy," Flareon said as he just about had enough, "I just don't think I'm able to help you. Your just too, you know...shy. You failed every single activity terribly. I mean...you only registered a 1 out of 1000 on the Hit-O'-Matic! Angel came by and was able to get a 50! This isn't going to work out." Meanwhile, a unicorn from the Ponyville Chronicle was walking in the park.

"What am I going to do? I need to have good a story to write about by the end of the day. I'm tired of Alice always getting the spotlight. When is it going to be my turn?" the unicorn said as he sighed. Suddenly, he spotted Flareon talking to Fluttershy and quickly hide behind some bushes. "Oh my god!" Is that the chosen one? I bet if I get a picture of him, I'm sure it will be on the front page!" He quickly took out his camera and began to listen to their conversation.

"Oh please Flareon don't give up! I know I can do it!" Fluttershy pleaded.

Even though it seemed hopeless, he liked her determination. "Ok...ok, we'll try this again. Let's start by using the punching bag again," Flareon replied as he walked up to her. At that moment, a bee appeared in front of Fluttershy as she was admiring the flowers. She then screamed in fear and kicked back her hind legs, accidently hitting an oblivious Flareon directly in the face. The force of her kick was so powerful, it immediately knocked him out cold. At that moment, the unicorn took a picture of Fluttershy kicking Flareon in the face, and then another picture of Flareon lying unconscious on the ground.

"Wow...I can't believe what I just saw! Fluttershy completely KO'd Flareon! I've got to hurry and get these pictures developed. The front page of the Ponyville Chronicle is as good as mine!" the unicorn exclaimed happily. A few seconds later, he disappeared. Soon after, Fluttershy turned around as was shocked to see the result of what she had just done.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy said as she tried to wake up an unconscious Flareon, "Did I do this?" Even though she didn't believe it at first, Fluttershy soon realized this was her doing. She had actually beat up Flareon. "Hold on...I'll go get Twilight!" A couple of minutes later, Flareon awoke to see a concerned Twilight and Fluttershy.

"What happened?" Flareon said as he rubbed his sore muzzle, "It feels like I got hit by a bulldozer."

"Fluttershy accidently kicked you in the face and knocked you unconscious," Twilight replied as Fluttershy nodded her head embarrassed. Unfortunately, Flareon burst of laughing.

"Fluttershy...that Fluttershy? You mean the pony that has a physical strength that rates 1 out of 1000? Nice try Twilight, but there is absolutely no way that she could knock me out...ever! As Flareon began to walk away while still laughing, Twilight turned to Fluttershy.

"I'm sorry, but you know how he can be sometimes. Flareon probably just doesn't want to admit what happened. He is probably feeling really embarrassed. Let's just let him be for now," Twilight said as she patted Fluttershy on the back.

"You're right Twilight, I'm sorry," Fluttershy replied as they began to leave the park. Little did Twilight know, Fluttershy and Flareon's social status were about to be drastically changed. It all began the next morning as Flareon and Twilight were walking through town. He quickly began to get suspicious that something was wrong as ponies everywhere were smirking, laughing, and pointing at him. Flareon was barely able to make out what they were saying.

"He's actually walking out in public after what happened? Hey look...he's using Twilight as a bodyguard! I wonder if Alexei found out about this? Is this guy really the chosen one? Poor kid...I wonder how he's going to deal with this? I can't believe he got beat up by her!" As Flareon was trying to figure out what they were talking about, Rainbow Dash appeared. She was smiling and holding something behind her back.

"Hey Flareon? How does it feel knowing Fluttershy is stronger than you? If you want, I could be your bodyguard! You never know...she might beat you up again!" Rainbow Dash said as she quickly began to laugh.

"Rainbow Dash...what the heck are you talking about?!" Flareon asked. Rainbow Dash then gave him the thing she was hiding behind her. It was the Ponyville Chronicle. Flareon then looked at the front page and began to read the headline aloud.

"The Chosen One gets KO'd!: Flareon, also known as the chosen one, was recently beat up by the nice and gentle pegasus Fluttershy. Apparently, they were having an argument in the park yesterday afternoon. Fluttershy decided she had enough and kicked him in the face, knocking him out cold. Soon after, Fluttershy, along with Flareon's wife Twilight Sparkle, appeared to help the injured pony, but when he awoke, Flareon quickly fled the scene. The question now...is Flareon, our chosen one, really that weak? Or is his power simply inferior compared to Fluttershy's, A.K.A. the chosen one slayer? Whatever Alexei sends next to attack us, will the chosen one be able to bounce back or will the chosen one slayer prove to be the more superior pony?" A few seconds later, Flareon threw the newspaper to the ground and quickly shot a fireball at it, turning the newspaper to ashes. He couldn't believe it, Twilight was right, Fluttershy did knock him out. However, Flareon had more pressing matters at hand. "What is this nonsense...the chosen one slayer? I fled the scene? We were arguing? Who wrote these lies?! Fluttershy didn't knock me out! Ok...technically she did, but it was a complete accident!" Sadly for Flareon, Rainbow Dash didn't believe him. She still thought that Fluttershy knocked him out on purpose. "Come on...let's go to Fluttershy's house! She'll explain what really happened!" Flareon exclaimed as they headed for Fluttershy's cottage. Unfortunately, Fluttershy was very much preoccupied at the moment as she was trying to cope with all the reporters that had swarmed her house. She was barely able to even say a word as every reporter was talking to her at the same time. Angel was trying to get the reporters to leave, but she was simply brushed-off. Soon after, Flareon, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash appeared. Right away, the reporters spotted Flareon and quickly surrounded him, while pushing Twilight and Rainbow Dash aside. They immediately began to throw questions at him.

"Chosen one...your popularity has dropped by 88%! What is your reaction to this? Flareon...how does it feel to get beat up by a girl? If Alexei attacks Ponyville again, are you going to let the chosen one slayer fight in your place? Are you going to fight Fluttershy in a rematch? Is Twilight your new bodyguard? Are you now scared of Fluttershy? What did you do to make Fluttershy knock you out?" After a few more embarrassing questions, Flareon decided he had enough. As he yelled to silence all the reporters, Flareon turned to face Fluttershy.

"Alright Fluttershy...tell them about what really happened! Explain to them that it was all just an accident!" Flareon exclaimed. However, because of the recent popularity she was receiving as being this tough as nails pony, Fluttershy was beginning to actually enjoy it.

"I don't know what you're talking about Flareon. I think you're just mad I knocked you out. It looks like I'm the new chosen one...the chosen one slayer!" Fluttershy exclaimed as the reporters, including Rainbow Dash, quickly swarmed her again as they began to take pictures of Fluttershy who was doing different poses. Angel went back into the house in disgust. Meanwhile, Flareon and Twilight were completely flabbergasted. They couldn't believe Fluttershy was going along with this ridiculous charade. Twilight then softly patted him on the back.

"Flareon...forget about it. I think Fluttershy is letting all that 'chosen one slayer' nonsense go to her head. For the first time, ponies are actually treating her as this strong, fearless pony instead of her usual scaredy-cat, shy self. Trust me...all this hype will die out eventually. Just be patient ok?" Twilight said.

"Yeah...I guess you're right. I'll let her enjoy this spotlight for a while. What's the worst that can happen?" Flareon replied as they began to walk back home. Unfortunately for him, things would get worse, much worse. As the days went by, Fluttershy's popularity as the chosen one slayer rose so much that she soon had her own personal fan club, led by Rainbow Dash, while Flareon's popularity dropped so much that he had fillies and colts challenging him to fights. Flareon couldn't walk anywhere in town without being laughed at. Even though Twilight still insisted this wouldn't last long, Flareon, at his wit's end, decided to end this nonsense once and for all. Soon after, he found Fluttershy in the park, talking to her fan club. "Alright Fluttershy...this is going to stop right now!" Flareon said as he walked up to her, "This little charade has gone long enough. I know Twilight told me to let you have the popularity spotlight for a while, but it ends today! Would you let this chosen one slayer thing go already...please?" Unfortunately, all Fluttershy did was laugh at him, along with Rainbow Dash and the other fan club members.

"Oh Flareon," Fluttershy replied, "Why can't you understand? I'm the chosen one slayer now. You have to accept the fact I'm stronger than you. After all...I did knock you out." Flareon then decided he had enough of Fluttershy's fake tough pony act.

"You know what Fluttershy?" Flareon said, "I tied to help you get stronger, and when I was about to give up on you, you were able to convince me otherwise. I thought we were friends, but apparently you let all this recent popularity, which is based on an accident, go straight to your head. Whatever Alexei sends to attack Ponyville...you can fight it!" Soon after, Flareon flew away.

"Who needs him?" Fluttershy said, "I can protect Ponyville all by myself. I'm the chosen one slayer!"

Right away, her fan club members also cheered, "Chosen one slayer!" Sadly for Fluttershy, her resolve to protect Ponyville would soon be tested. Meanwhile, in Everfree Forest, a small group of shadows dragons, three small and two big, were sitting on the ground trying to figure out their next move. Apparently these dragons had tried to attack Ponyville a couple of days ago, but after they saw Flareon defeating their comrades, they quickly fled to the Everfree Forest and have been here ever since.

"What are we doing to do?" One dragon asked, "We can't go back to lord Alexei...he'll kill us for sure! We have to do something!"

"There's only thing we can do guys," another dragon said, "We have to go back to Ponyville and finish what are brothers failed to accomplish. We have to kill the chosen one!" After no else was able to come up with another plan, they decided to head back to Ponyville. A few hours later, Fluttershy, followed by Rainbow Dash and her fan club, were walking through Ponyville when suddenly, the group of shadow dragons appeared before them.

"Alright...where is he? Where is the chosen one?!" a dragon exclaimed. Right away, Fluttershy began to realize the fun was over. Unfortunately for her, Rainbow Dash began to laugh at the dragons.

"Who needs that guy? We have someone even better! Cower in fear dragons...here is the chosen one slayer!" Rainbow Dash and the others quickly moved away, showing Fluttershy, who was cowering behind everyone. Rainbow Dash then pushed her in front of the dragons and flew to where her fellow club members were now hiding. "Go get 'em chosen one slayer! Show those dragons your awesome kicking power!" Fluttershy quickly began to shake uncontrollably with fear. She had to find some way to get the dragons to leave Ponyville peacefully.

"Um...if you guys don't leave right now I um...I'm going to get really mad!" Fluttershy said. Sadly for her, the dragons weren't buying her act. Soon after, one of the dragons growled angrily at her, which prompted Fluttershy to quickly fly away. Rainbow Dash and the other fan club members were completely dumbfounded.

"Seriously...that was it?" one dragon asked, "Well...I guess that...we're just going to destroy this town! Come on guys, the chosen one isn't here anymore! There is no one here that can stop us!" As the dragons began to get to work destroying Ponyville, Fluttershy was desperately trying to find Flareon. A couple of minutes later, she found him in the park, resting on a tree branch.

When Flareon spotted her, he pretended to ignore her. "Oh look who it is...the chosen one slayer. Don't you have a fan club to get back to?"

"Flareon...Flareon!" Fluttershy yelled, "We need you help! Some dragons came back and are destroying Ponyville!" At first Flareon started to get worried, but then he remembered Fluttershy said she could handle it.

"When then...you should probably get back there chosen one slayer. You don't want to disappointment you fan club. You did after all say you could handle anything that attacked Ponyville...right?" Flareon replied. Fluttershy knew what she had to do.

"Flareon...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Fluttershy pleaded, "I just...wanted everyone to think I was strong for once. Since I'm so shy and nice, ponies usually just walk right over me. I'm sorry the way everyone has treated you the last couple days. This is all my fault. I still want to be friends. Can you please forgive me...please?" Even though Fluttershy hasn't exactly been what he would call a friend lately, he did understand how she felt.

"Fluttershy, it's ok...I forgive you," Flareon replied, "When I was a human back in high school, I was like you, shy, nice, and quiet. I also got pushed around and walked over by everyone, including my friends who took advantage of me, so I understand how you feel." He then flew down to Fluttershy and gave her a hug. All was now forgiven, but Flareon had more pressing matter at hand, he had to stop the dragons from destroying Ponyville. Soon after, Flareon had Fluttershy bring him to where the dragons were. When they got there, the dragons quickly spotted Flareon.

"Well...well, look who is it? The chosen one!" a dragon said, "We're going to get revenge for our falling comrades and once we kill you, we'll finish destroying this town and finally be able to return to lord Alexei! Come on guys...let's get him!" As the dragons began to attack Flareon, he once again got back to work and this time, Flareon was going to make sure he didn't let any dragons escape. A couple of minutes later, after Flareon defeated four dragons with perfectly amid fireballs, he heard a scream from behind him. When Flareon turned around, he saw a small dragon preparing to attack Fluttershy from behind.

"Fluttershy!" Flareon yelled, "Look out!"

"If I can't kill the chosen one, I might as well kill the chosen one slayer!" the dragon exclaimed. At that moment, Fluttershy closed her eyes and kicked back her hind legs as hard as she could. Luckily for her, Fluttershy kicked the dragon directly in the face just as he was about to attack her. Her kick was so powerful that the dragon was sent flying into a building and was instantly defeated. Once the black flames where the dragon had been disappeared everyone, including Rainbow Dash and Flareon, rushed over to Fluttershy.

"That was amazing Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "You totally super kicked that dragon into oblivion!"

Soon after her and the other fan clubs members began to chant, "Chosen one slayer! Chosen one slayer! Chosen one slayer!" Right away, Fluttershy began to silence them. This had to end now.

"Stop! Just stop doing that...please!" Fluttershy pleaded, "I'm sorry, but I'm a fake. I accidently kicked Flareon in the face, I didn't do it on purpose. I've been lying this entire time. That's why...I'm officially disbanding the chosen one slayer fan club." As her ex-fan club members walked away disappointed, Rainbow Dash flew down and patted Fluttershy softly on the back.

"Don't worry about it," Rainbow Dash replied, "I already knew you weren't this so-called chosen one slayer. I was just going along with it just to torment Flareon. For some reason, he wasn't surprised by her confession.

"Yeah...that actually doesn't surprise me," Flareon said. He then walked over to Fluttershy, who was admiring some flowers. "Seriously though Fluttershy, you've got a wicked cool back kick! Your kicking power might be stronger than Applejack's!" Suddenly, a bee appeared in front of Fluttershy's face, and she kicked back her hind legs in fear. Unfortunately, she kicked Flareon directly in the face, knocking him out cold...again. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash quickly tried to awake an unconscious Flareon. While Fluttershy learned that you shouldn't lie about something that was an accident, Flareon learned something too. Never stand directly behind a pony that has a tendency to get frightened that also has a super powerful kicking ability.


	7. Ponyland Hijinks

Chapter 7  
Ponyland Hijinks

Princess Celestia decided to send Flareon, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack along with Winona, on another mission. This time to a new amusement park called Ponyland. She has heard from ponies living near it that the rides started operating and the lights had come on even though the theme park wasn't meant to open for another week. Princess Celestia asked Flareon and his friends to get down to the bottom of this mystery. After Flareon, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Winona arrived at Ponyland, they looked around, and noticed at all the rides operating, even though no one was around. "Alright...listen up everyone!" Flareon said, "I'll go to the north side. Twilight, you got the east side. Rarity, you check the west side. Applejack, you and Winona go search the south side." Soon after, everyone split up and began to investigate Ponyland. Applejack and Winona decided to head for food stands. Applejack went to a nearby stand and sat down on a chair.

"Might as well have a snack while we're here," Applejack said, "Right girl?" Winona quickly barked in agreement as she sat in a chair near Applejack. "Excuse me! I'd like to order some nachos with cheese!" Winona then barked again. "Make that two please!" Suddenly, two baskets of nachos with cheese slid across the counter out of nowhere. Right away, they started to panic. "Wait...how? Where did these come from?" Applejack said as she jumped off the chair and began to look around. "Is anyone there? Show yourself!" She then turned around and spotted Winona eating both tray of nachos. "Come on girl...we can eat later!" Winona quickly jumped down and began to sniff the ground, but she was unable to pick up another scent. "What's wrong Winona? You can't pick up their scent? It can't be a ghost...right?" Suddenly, Winona began to bark. "What's wrong girl? Do you see something?" Applejack looked at where Winona was barking at and quickly spotted a figure. It was moving so fast, it was nearly impossible to make out what it was. However, after closer inspection, it seemed to look like a robot earth pony. "Holy cow! Is that a robot pony? That feller is moving faster than Pinkie Pie on caffeine!" Soon after, they spotted it run into the Hall of Mirrors. "Come on Winona! It has nowhere to run now!" Applejack exclaimed as they quickly followed the mysterious robot into the Hall of Mirrors. A few minutes later, Applejack and Winona had got themselves distracted as they were laughing at their warped reflections in a mirror. "We look like two chubby bowling balls!" Applejack said, "Ain't these mirrors hilarious?" Unfortunately, the fun didn't last long as another figure appeared in the mirror with them. It was the pony robot. As Applejack and Winona quickly turned around, they saw the robot standing directly in front of them. "Let's get out of here!" Applejack yelled as she and Winona quickly ran away. After they left the Hall of Mirrors, Applejack and Winona looked back to see if the robot was following them, but they accidentally crashed into a group of garbage cans. As they peaked their heads out of the garbage cans, Applejack looked around and tried to find the pony robot. "Well...shoot," Applejack said as they got out of the garbage cans, "We lost track of him. Come on girl...let's go find the others." Meanwhile, on the west side of Ponyland, Rarity had just finished investigating the Merry-Go-Round.

"Nope...nothing there either," Rarity said, "I hope the others caught the culprit already. I just want to go back home." Suddenly, she spotted a figure run towards the Ferris Wheel. "Wait...is that a robot pony? Well...it's not going to get away!" A few seconds later, she arrived at the Ferris Wheel. The robot apparently went into one of the carriages. Unfortunately, the Ferris Wheel had stopped moving. Rarity then used her magic and turned the crank to manually move it, but after she had moved the Ferris Wheel all the way around, the robot pony was nowhere to be seen. Soon after, the lights from everywhere in Ponyland suddenly turned off. "What in the world is going on in this weird amusement park? I better go back and tell the others about this," Rarity replied. Eventually, everyone was able to regroup near the Ponyland entrance.

"Well...did anyone find anything?" Flareon asked.

"You won't believe this Flareon! I saw a robot pony running around! Me and Winona chased it into the Hall of Mirrors, but we lost track of him...sorry," Applejack replied.

"I saw it too!" Rarity exclaimed, "It went onto the Ferris Wheel, but it somehow managed to escape." Twilight then spotted a house a short distance away. The lights in the house were on.

"Hey! Look over there!" Twilight said as she pointed towards the house, "Maybe the caretakers of Ponyland are there. We should go ask them if they can help us solve this mystery. Later on, they met Mr. and Mrs. Wonka, who were both shocked to hear that Ponyland was running. Mr. Wonka told them that the robot pony was called Scrappy, and that he had created Scrappy to help him around Ponyland. He designed him to be the perfect robot. For some reason, Mrs. Wonka didn't seem to found of Scrappy.

"I have told my husband time and time again that robot is dangerous. I don't want that thing around the kids," Mrs. Wonka replied. "If you four could destroy that crazy, out-of-control robot, I would be very grateful."

"Don't worry Mr. and Mrs. Wonka, leave this to us!" Flareon exclaimed, "Come on girls...we have a robot to capture!" Later on, they had arrived back in Ponyland. Suddenly, the lights were started to come back on, but that wasn't the weird part. All the rides were acting crazy. The Merry-Go-Round was operating backwards, the Cotton Candy machine was over-producing cotton candy, and the hamburger stand was shooting out hamburgers everywhere. Soon after, they spotted Scrappy riding on a unicycle. "There he is...let's get him!" They quickly followed him to the Tunnel of Love. After Scrappy had got on a boat, they also got on a boat and began to give chase. A few minutes later, they saw Scrappy, but he wasn't on a boat anymore. He was swimming directly at them.

"Are we chasing him or is her chasing us?!" Twilight yelled as they frantically tried to avoid him, but it was too late as Scrappy crashed into them, sinking their boat. As everyone tried to recover from the crash, they looked around, but didn't see Scrappy anywhere.

"How dare he!" Rarity yelled as she stood up, "Look what Scrappy did to my mane! I swear...that robot is going to pay!" After a couple of minutes of Rarity swearing her revenge on Scrappy, Flareon decided it would be best if they split-up again. This time he would go east, Twilight would go south, Rarity would go north, and Applejack with Winona would go west. Later on, as Applejack and Winona were trying to figure out where to check next, Applejack felt something touch her shoulder.

"What's wrong Winona? Do you see something?" Applejack asked. When she noticed it was not Winona who tapped her on the shoulder, Applejack slowly turned around to see Scrappy standing right before them. Right away, they screamed in terror and they quickly ran away as fast as they could. Unfortunately, Scrappy was beginning to get closer to them. "Come on girl...let's lose him on the roller coaster!" Applejack yelled. Soon after, they boarded the roller coaster. As it began to climb the hill, Applejack let out a sigh of relief. Sadly for her, she turned around to see Scrappy climbing over the cars and coming directly for them. At that moment, the roller coaster began to descend down the hill at high speed. As Applejack and Winona yelled in terror of the roller coaster's speed and how Scrappy was still coming towards them, Applejack suddenly spotted another roller coaster coming towards them on the left side. "Come on Winona! Let's jump on that other roller coaster! It's our only way to lose him!" she yelled frantically as Scrappy was right behind them. Luckily for them, they would able to safely jump to the other roller coaster and managed to escape from Scrappy. A few minutes later, Applejack and Winona managed to get off the roller coaster. "Now...where did that crazy robot go?" she asked as they looked around looking for him. Suddenly, they spotted Scrappy standing on top of the highest roller coaster hill. "What in tarnation is that robot trying to do now?" Scrappy then jumped off the hill and fell through a tent that was directly below him. When Applejack and Winona went into the tent to investigate, they didn't see Scrappy anywhere. "How did that robot fall down from that height and still manage to escape? Is Scrappy some sort of super robot?" Meanwhile, on the south side, Twilight suddenly spotted Scrappy running by in the distance.

"Not so fast Scrappy!" Twilight yelled as she quickly ran after him, "You're not getting away from me!" Soon after, she used her magic on Scrappy and tried to stop him in his tracks. Unfortunately, the robot was so strong it began to drag Twilight along with him. "Stop Scrappy...I said stop!" Apparently, he wasn't paying any attention at all to Twilight as Scrappy kept on running. Soon after, Twilight was pulled directly into a mound of cotton candy. As Scrappy managed to get away, Twilight poked her head out of the cotton candy mound. As she licked the cotton candy from her mouth and wiped it off her eyes, Twilight desperately tried to find Scrappy, but he was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, Twilight was hit by an idea. "I think I may know how to stop Scrappy, but I'm going to need Flareon's help. I've got to regroup with the others!" Later on, they managed to regroup in the middle of Ponyland. Twilight then began to explain what her plan was and why she had a giant magnet lying beside her. "Ok Flareon...here is the plan. I want you to take this giant magnet and use it to capture Scrappy. The electromagnetic waves from this magnet should be powerful enough to short-circuit him. Luckily for them, they suddenly spotted Scrappy running in the distance.

As Flareon picked up the giant magnet and flew after Scrappy, Applejack yelled, "Go get 'em Flareon!" He then got close to Scrappy and pointed the magnet right at him. Twilight's plan worked to perfection as the magnet quickly captured Scrappy and the electromagnetic waves managed to turn him off. Soon after, Flareon brought Scrappy back to everyone and put him down on the ground. As they were congratulating him, Mr. and Mrs. Wonka suddenly appeared.

"Good work everyone!" Mrs. Wonka exclaimed, "Now could you please destroy that pesky robot?" Sadly for Mrs. Wonka, everyone quickly surrounded her, staring at her angrily.

"You know Mrs. Wonka...you sure have been determined for us to destroy him," Flareon replied, "I think you have some explaining to do!"

Mrs. Wonka then let out a sigh and said, "Ok...fine! It was me! I was the one who messed Scrappy's circuits and caused him to go out-of-control. I just don't think it's safe for a robot to be around children. I was only looking out for their well-being...I'm sorry." As Mr. Wonka patted her on the shoulder, they quickly shared an apology hug, and all was forgiven. Later on, in Mr. and Mrs. Wonka's house, they were all sitting around the table, having dinner.

"I can't thank you guys enough!" Mr. Wonka said, "Not only did you manage to stop Scrappy, you pretty much saved Ponyland. What can we do to make it up to you?"

"How about free admission to Ponyland?" Flareon asked.

"You've got yourself a deal!" Mr. Wonka exclaimed. He then turned to Twilight. "I also have to thank you for fixing Scrappy!"

Twilight smiled and replied, "Don't mention it Mr. Wonka. It was the least I could do!"

"Hey look!" Applejack said, "It seems that someone is enjoying themselves!" Everyone quickly looked to where Applejack was pointing and began to laugh. Winona was laying on the floor while having her belly rubbed by Scrappy. In the end, it was another successful mission accomplished for Flareon and his friends.


	8. Elemental My Dear Flareon

Chapter 8  
Elemental My Dear Flareon

It was a dark, stormy night in Ponyville. Flareon was reading 'The History of the Elemental Warriors' while sitting near their desk. Lightning flashed in the sky and thunder could be heard in the distance. As Flareon finished reading another page, he leaned back in his chair. "Wow...I'm sure glad Princess Celestia let me borrow this book. I can't believe how awesome the Elemental Warriors were, especially Nova. He was a true hero. I wish I could meet them." Soon after, Flareon heard someone come upstairs. As he turned his head, he saw Twilight.

"You still reading that book?" Twilight asked, "You really seem to like it."

"You got that right!" Flareon replied, "This book is absolutely amazing. Just everything about the Elemental Warriors is so interesting. Wouldn't it be awesome if I could meet them somehow?" Twilight immediately began to laugh.

"The only way you could meet the Elemental Warriors is if you traveled back in time 10,000 years," Twilight said, "Me and Spike are playing cards. Once you're done, come join us ok?" A few seconds later, she went back downstairs, and Flareon went back to reading the book. The clock on the wall just turned to 9pm. He then closed his eyes and imagined meeting Nova and the Elemental Warriors. At that moment, lightning flashed again and was quickly followed by a roaring thunder boom. It was so loud that Flareon was startled and accidentally shot a fireball directly at the open book. Instead of catching on fire, the book began to glow.

"What is going on?" Flareon said, "Why is it glowing?" As Flareon moved his right hoof closer to the book, he suddenly began to get sucked into it. Flareon tried to pull his hoof out, but it was no use. Soon after, Flareon was completely absorbed into the book, which quickly closed shut. Later on, Flareon began to regain consciousness. As he got up, Flareon soon realized he wasn't in Golden Oak Library anymore, or even Ponyville. As he looked around, Flareon noticed the landscape looked more like a battlefield. It seemed like a war was taking place. He also noticed the sky was completely black. There was night a single star in sight. Suddenly, he heard a voice from behind him.

"Ah...Commander Nova! I see you arrived here early," the voice said. As Flareon quickly turned around, he saw a group of ponies standing in front of him. They appeared to be wearing some type of armor. "Wait a minute...did you shave recently?" the pony in front said, "I have to say...I like the new look. You somehow appear shorter than I remember, but never mind that, where would you like us to go this time? Fort Iron Hoof or Fort Silver Wing?" Flareon didn't know how to react. Did this pony just call him Nova? What was Fort Iron Hoof and Silver Wing? What in the world was going on? Where was he?"

Um...I guess...maybe Fort Iron Hoof?" Flareon replied while still confused.

"Very well Commander Nova. We will make haste for Fort Iron Hoof right away!" the leader exclaimed as he turned to face his soldiers, "Come on guys! We can't let our commander down!" Flareon could only watch as the group of ponies quickly ran past him and off into the distance.

"Why did that pony call me Nova?" Flareon said as he was still trying to figure out what was going on, "What happened to Golden Oak Library? Where is Ponyville? All I remember was sitting in our room and reading 'The History of the Elemental Warriors' when I heard thunder outside and accidently shot a fireball at the book after I was startled. The book began to glow and I got sucked into it." Suddenly, it struck Flareon. "Wait...no, it can't be! Did I travel back in time? That's ridiculous! How is that even possible?!" Sadly for Flareon, he didn't have time to dwell on his current situation as he began to hear voices again. As Flareon turned around, he saw a group of six ponies walking towards him while talking to each other. They all seemed to be alicorns, just like him. After closer inspection, the pony in the middle looked exactly like him. "Wait a moment! Is that...Nova? Then that must mean those others are Bolt, Aqua, Gale, Onyx, and Crystal! The Elemental Warriors!" Flareon exclaimed. "Then it is true! I somehow managed to travel back in time 10,000 years! Well as long as I'm here, I might as well take this opportunity." Soon after, Flareon began to run towards them. Meanwhile, the Elemental Warriors were in a deep conversation.

"Crystal, how are the troops in Fort Razorback doing?" Nova asked, "Do they need any backup?"

"No, they are fine at the moment. They managed to force Maximus to retreat. However, they did suffer some casualties. I sent for a small healing team to their location," Crystal replied.

"I understand. Good work Crystal," Nova said. He then turned to Bolt. "What about Princess Estellise? How is Canterlot holding up?"

"No problem at all! Some dragons tried to attack Canterlot, but they were easily defeated. Seriously though, I don't know why Alexei bothered to sent those weaklings to the most protected stronghold we have! I think he may be losing his touch and getting desperate!" Bolt exclaimed.

"Why don't you get it Bolt?" Gale replied, "Alexei can create a limitless amount shadow dragons. He sent them to Canterlot knowing full well they would be defeated. He is such a heartless bastard!"

"Any word on Discord?" Nova asked.

"Fort Echo was recently destroyed by Discord who was accompanied by some dragons," Onyx replied, "There were no survivors."

"I see...that was a tough loss, but we must move on," Nova said, "It's been 20 years since the Dark Ages begun. I swear...the light from the sun will return to Equestria! After all...I made a promise to her." At that moment, everyone became silent as Nova stopped to look in the dark sky. Suddenly, they heard the sound of hooves approaching and saw Flareon running towards them.

As Flareon tried to catch his breath, he said, "I can't believe I finally get to meet the Elemental Warriors! Hi, my name is Flareon, and I'm a huge fan! I mean seriously, you guys are the greatest heroes Equestria has ever had! The way you beat Alexei and put an end to the Dark Ages was simply a masterpiece! I was wondering...maybe...I could get your autographs?" A few seconds later, Flareon found himself face-first on the ground, while Nova was on top of him and holding Flareon's right hoof behind his head. Nova was yelling threats at him while the other Elemental Warriors had Flareon surrounded.

"Who are you and why are you here!" Nova yelled, "What happened to the group of soldiers that were supposed to meet us here?!"

"I sent them to Fort Iron Hoof!" Flareon replied.

"Who gave you that authority?!" Nova yelled, "Are you working for Alexei? Are you a dragon in disguise? Did you send for dragons to ambush them?!"

"No! I'm not working for Alexei...I swear! The leader of that group mistook me for you and I just...sent them to one of the forts! Please...I'm on your side! I'm...from the future!" Flareon replied. At that moment, the Elemental Warriors went silent.

"What do you mean? You're from the future?" Crystal said. Suddenly, Nova spotted Flareon's cutie mark.

"You have the same cutie mark as me," Nova muttered.

"Oy Nova! So...what are we going to do with him?" Onyx asked. As Nova got off Flareon, he then held out his right hoof and helped Flareon back up.

"You said your name is Flareon and that you're from the future right?" Nova asked, "Since you have the same cutie mark as me, I'm guessing you have control of the fire element?"

"Yeah...I do," Flareon replied. As Nova began to ponder, Bolt's patience was wearing thin.

"Nova...are you seriously going to trust this kid?" Bolt said, "I know he kind of looks like you, but really...from the future? I don't buy that one bit! This is obviously a trap set by Alexei to trick us!" Nova then held up his right hoof to silence Bolt and looked at Flareon.

"Flareon, we're going to take you to Canterlot to meet with Princess Estellise. If you are who you say you are, then this shouldn't be a problem. I'll have you know, if this is some sort of trick Alexei has set up, we won't hesitate to kill you...understand?" Nova said with a serious tone. Right away, Flareon knew this was no simple vacation, he had to be very careful if he wanted to return back home to present Equestria.

"I understand," Flareon replied.

Nova nodded his head and said, "Very well...come on guys. We're going to Canterlot. Soon after, the Elemental Warriors spread out their wings. Nova looked at Flareon and smiled. "We'll be flying to Canterlot at max speed. Hey kid...will that be a problem for you?" Flareon spread out his wings and laughed.

"Not at all! Hopefully, the famous Elemental Warriors are as fast as they are strong!" Flareon exclaimed. A few seconds later, everyone took flight high into the air, and quickly headed for Canterlot. About an hour later, they finally arrived at Canterlot, but it wasn't the pearly white, glowing capital of Equestria Flareon remembered. Instead of a city, it was more like a large town that was very heavily defended. There was a giant stone wall going around the entire town, while ponies stood guard on top of the wall towers. Inside the town, there were a bunch of different sized tents everywhere. Instead of the Canterlot Castle, there was a large tent in its place, which was Flareon, Nova, and the Elemental Warriors landed down at. Soon after, Nova asked one of the guards standing near the tent to go get Princess Estellise. The Elemental Warriors then entered the tent and Flareon followed after them. When he got inside, Flareon saw a large desk in the middle of the room with chairs lined up around it. In the middle of the desk was a large map of Equestria that had small pony and dragon figures positioned all around on it. The Elemental Warriors quickly sat down in the chair. Nova then pointed to a chair besides him and signaled for Flareon to sit near him. As Flareon was walking over to Nova, he turned his head to a table and saw a picture of Nova with another pony standing besides him, and after closer inspection, Flareon noticed it was a female alicorn. They were both smiling happily. Flareon then sat down in the chair near Nova. Eventually, the tent opened again, and Princess Estellise entered the room. Flareon was absolutely amazed. There was no doubt about it, she was gorgeous. The aurora emulating from her was breathtaking. Just by her presence Flareon felt a warm, calm feeling. He then noticed something shocking. Princess Estellise's crown looked exactly like Princess Celestia's crown. Could it be possible Celestia's crown was 10,000 years old? As she sat down in the head chair between Nova and Bolt, Estellise began to speak.

"Nova, Bolt, Aqua, Gale, Onyx, and Crystal, I'm glad to see that all of you are doing ok." She then spotted Flareon and smiled, "Oh...excuse me. I'm afraid I've never met you before. Nova...is this pony the reason you called me here?"

"Yes Princess Estellise. I'm sorry for disturbing you, but this was an urgent matter. This pony is...well...I think it would be better if he would explain," Nova replied. As everyone looked at Flareon, he took a deep breath and began to tell them everything.

"My name is Flareon and I'm from the future...10,000 years to be exact. I somehow traveled back in time through a book I was reading called 'The History of the Elemental Warriors.' It started to glow after I accidently shot a fireball at it and it dragged me into it. I also used to be a human. I awoke in Equestria about a year ago and realized I became a pony. After meeting Princess Celestia, the current princess of Equestria, I learned of an ancient prophecy saying I was the 'chosen one' destined to defeat Alexei once and for all. After the Elemental Warriors, you guys, sealed Alexei and turned him into a stone statue using some type of seal formation, it was thought he would never be return, but after Discord broke free from his seal, he tricked me into unlocking the seal on Alexei's statue. It's my fault Alexei was revived, but I swear...I will defeat him!" Flareon exclaimed. After he stopped speaking, it wasn't a surprise to him that everyone was at a lose for words.

"What prophecy do you speak of Flareon?" Estellise asked. Flareon was baffled at what she just said. Didn't Princess Celestia tell him it was Princess Estellise who made the prophecy?

"The one you made Princess Estellise! Remember? The prophecy saying I was the chosen one and that I had to marry one who possessed an element of harmony who will bear the new future Princess of Equestria!" Flareon replied. Unfortunately, Princess Estellise was still confused.

"I'm sorry Flareon, but I do not know what prophecy you speak of," Estellise said, "Are you sure it was me?" Flareon couldn't believe what he was hearing. Princess Estellise wasn't the creator of the prophecy? If it wasn't her, then who was it? Who made the prophecy?! At that moment, it suddenly struck him, though it took awhile for Flareon to be able to speak as it was such a shock.

"It was...me! I was the creator of the prophecy!' Flareon exclaimed. As he looked at everyone's confused faces, Flareon began to laugh. "Don't you guys see...the fact that the prophecy doesn't exist yet is because I was the one who told Princess Estellise about it. I went back in time, I told Estellise the prophecy, and she is the one who puts in on the five tablets, and that it how I learned of it from Princess Celestia in the future! Wow...talk about mind blown!"

"Is your mind ok Flareon?" Gale asked.

"Yeah...it's fine, it's just a figure of speech...sorry," Flareon replied. He then looked at Princess Estellise. "Can you do some favors for me?"

Estellise smiled and said, "Sure Flareon...anything!"

"Ok...I need you to record the prophecy I just told you about onto five stone tablets and put them in a secret room behind your throne after the Canterlot Castle is built. Also...I need to you to put a time travel spell on the book called 'The History of the Elemental Warriors' so that I'll be able to travel back here in the future. Make sure that the spell is activated by fire magic making contact with the book and have the spell last for three hours. I think...I'm missing something though, but what?" Flareon said. Princess Estellise then put a ragged book onto the table.

"I recently found this book in an old, burnt-down library. Contained within it is the instructions of a seal called the Hexagon Seal Formation. It says that it can seal even the most monstrous forms of evil into the form of a stone statue," Estellise replied.

"That's it! That's the seal the Elemental Warriors use to seal Discord and Alexei!" Flareon yelled. "Princess Estellise...can you please record the information in that book into a new book? I think it may come in handy in the future."

Estellise smiled and replied, "Yes...of course, you can't count on me! Do you have any more questions?"

"I was wondering...in that picture on the table with Nova...who is that female alicorn that is standing by him? How come she isn't here? Is she in another town or fort?" Flareon asked. At that moment, everyone suddenly looked down in silence. Right away, just by looking at their faces and reactions, he could tell something happened to her. "I'm sorry. It's ok if you don't want to talk about it...I understand."

Nova then looked at him and said, "No...it's ok. I don't mind talking about her. You see Flareon...the alicorn in that picture used to be my wife. Her name was Solange and she was the daughter of Princess Estellise. Solange was also the Princess of Equestria. She was graceful, majestic, kind, caring, and did everything in her power to help everyone. Five years ago, Solange was stationed at a town and was in charge of healing the wounded. She was the leader of the healing squads. Solange was healing ponies nonstop for three days straight without any rest when suddenly, Alexei attacked the town she was stationed at. I immediately rushed there and tried to help her escape, but then Alexei shot a giant fireball towards us. I tried to pick her up, but I was too weak after the hard battle I had just been through. After I refused Solange's request to leave her and escape, Solange used the last amount of magic she had left and pushed me away. A few seconds later, she was...gone. Solange sacrificed herself to protect me. There's not a single day that goes by that I wish I could have saved her. That's why...we will use that Hexagon Seal Formation and seal Alexei. We will bring back the sun because I made a promise to Solange! That's why Flareon...I want you to promise me you will defeat Alexei in the future!"

Flareon smiled and replied, "I promise!" He then looked at the clock and noticed it had been nearly three hours since he arrived in the past. "Well guys...my time here is almost up." As Flareon got off the chair, he walked outside the tent, and was soon followed by everyone. After they got outside, the space around Flareon was becoming distorted. The time travel spell was beginning to wear off. Nova then walked over to him and they shared a brohoof.

"Take care Flareon! Do me a favor and kick Alexei's behind for me ok?" Nova said.

Flareon laughed and replied, "You bet!"

"I will start putting the prophecy on five stone tablets right away," Estellise said, "Not to mention writing that book called 'The History of the Elemental Warriors' and putting that fire-activated time travel spell on it. I will pray for your safety.

"Meanwhile, we will study the Hexagon Seal Formation in that book. Discord and Alexei will never see it coming!" Bolt exclaimed.

As everyone said there goodbyes, Flareon was quickly dragged into a portal that opened up behind him and soon after, he was gone. The next moment, Flareon saw their room come into view as he was quickly thrown from the book and landed face-first onto the floor. As Flareon got up, he looked around and noticed he was back inside their room in Golden Oak Library. Flareon had finally returned to the present time. When he looked at the clock on the wall, Flareon was surprised to learn that it was still 9pm. Even though he had spent three hours in the past, time in the present had been frozen during that period. Soon after, Flareon heard someone running up the stairs. As he turned his head, Flareon saw a worried Twilight.

"Flareon...are you ok?!" she yelled, "I heard a loud, crashing noise!"

As Flareon got up, he smiled and replied, "Sorry, I just um...fell out of my chair after I titled it too far back, my bad." Flareon then walked to Twilight. "I've finished reading, so how about I join you and Spike ok?" Even though Twilight wanted to ask Flareon why he looked so happy, she decided not to ask, and followed him back downstairs. As Flareon sat down beside Twilight, Spike, and Solana who was playing with her toys, he remembered the promise he made to Nova. Not only was Flareon set on defeating Alexei for Nova and Solange, he was going to do it to protect his family and everyone in Equestria, past and present.


	9. The Pony Who Cried Robot

Chapter 9  
The Pony Who Cried Robot

As the sun rose to signal the start of another day in Ponyville, Flareon, Twilight, Spike, and Solana awoke to a beautiful, carefree morning. As Flareon went to the front door to get the daily Ponyville Chronicle, he was shocked to find a big, brown box next to it. The box had no address, not even a name or anything, listed on it. "Hey Twilight!" Flareon yelled as he brought the package and newspaper into the house, "Did you order anything?"

As Twilight walked downstairs, she replied, "No...I don't think so. Spike! Did you order something?"

Spike walked downstairs while carrying Solana and said, "Nope...not me. So Flareon, are you going to open it or not? We might as well see what's inside." Seeing as he had no choice, Flareon quickly opened the box and was shocked to find a robot earth pony.

"Who sent this to us?" Flareon said as he pondered, "You don't think it was Discord...do you?"

"Well...it's not attacking us," Twilight replied, "So I guess not then." As Spike walked closer to it, the robot pony suddenly came to life.

"I am robo-pony, your word is my command!" the robot exclaimed. Right away, Spike's eyes began to glow.

"Oh sweet! Our own personal robot! Let's see...robo-pony, go make us breakfast!' Spike said. At that moment, the robot quickly ran into the kitchen, and in no time at all, it had made breakfast for three.

"I am finished with your request!" the robot said. As Spike began to chow down, Flareon was starting to have a bad feeling about this. Something about this robot didn't seem quite right. Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door. When they went to answer it, their friends came rushing into the house, each with a robot just like the one they had.

"So...you guys got one too?" Rainbow Dash said, "Aren't these robots awesome? They can even fly using their hooves as jets! How cool is that? Everyone in Ponyville and Cloudsdale also got a robot!"

"That's very strange," Twilight replied, "The problem is...who sent them?"

"Who cares?! All I know is I'm definitely keeping mine!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Soon after, she and her robot left the house.

"I hear ya Twilight, but you do have to admit they are very helpful. I'm thinking this feller could even help me out on the farm. I think I'm going to call mine Bucky. Well...see ya guys later, bye!" Applejack said as she went outside with her robot. She was soon followed by the others, who were also happy that they received a robot pony. As the door closed behind them, Flareon was starting to get worried. Why did everyone suddenly receive a robot? Who sent them? The only answer Flareon could think of was Discord. He had to be the one behind this.

"Twilight...I'm telling you, this has to be the work of Discord! Um...Twilight?" Flareon said as he began to look for her. When he turned around, Flareon saw Twilight looking up at the robot, who was hovering in mid-air while putting a stack of books back on a bookshelf.

"Good work Circuit!" Twilight said as she pointed towards another stack of books, "Can you please put these away too?"

"Right away miss, your wish is my command!" Circuit replied as he flew down to the books and began to put them back on the bookshelf. In just a few minutes, Twilight had already fell victim to the robot's helpful charm.

"Twilight...I'm positive this robot was sent by Discord! I'm going to destroy this cursed thing!" Flareon yelled as he began to charge up a fireball, but Twilight suddenly stood in front of him.

"No...stop!" She replied, "Come on Flareon...why can't you give Circuit a chance? Look...even Solana likes him." As Flareon turned his head, he saw Solana riding on Circuit as he hovered around the room. Flareon quickly flew to the robot and took Solana off him.

"No! I will have not her playing with that thing!" Flareon yelled angrily. Unfortunately, Solana began to cry. He tried to calm her down, but it wasn't until Twilight used her magic to put Solana back onto Circuit's back. Immediately, Solana stopped crying and began to laugh happily as Circuit continued to fly her around the room.

"Flareon...please just stop this. Circuit has done nothing wrong. Maybe it was Princess Celestia who sent us these robots. I think we should keep him," Twilight replied. Soon after, Spike walked into the room.

"I agree with Twilight," Spike said as he finished eating a sandwich. As Circuit flew down to Twilight and Spike, Solana quickly began to clap her hooves together in agreement with them. Sadly for Flareon, he was outvoted 1-3.

"I don't care what you guys say, this robot is dangerous, I can sense it. This is a trap created by Discord!" Flareon said as he walked to the front door, "I'm going out to convince everyone that these robots need to be destroyed! Once I do...you guys will have to let me destroy Circuit." Flareon then walked outside and slammed the door behind him. As Twilight let out a deep sigh, Spike leaned towards Circuit.

"Hey Circuit...how good are you at giving massages?" he whispered. Meanwhile, Flareon was walking through town and was absolutely horrified at what he was seeing. There were robo-ponies everywhere. Rainbow Dash was right. Every single Ponyville resident, including Cloudsdale, had received a robot. This reminded Flareon of a movie he once saw about the entire human race being taking over by an unstoppable robot army. No matter what, he had to put an end to this nightmare. First stop, Sugarcube Corner. When he went inside, Flareon saw a robot helping Pinkie Pie, Mr. Cake, and Mrs. Cake run their store.

"Oh dear, isn't our robot Sugar simply the best?!" Mrs. Cake exclaimed.

"I'm so glad Princess Celestia gave us him. I should write a letter to thank her," Mr. Cake replied.

"This calls for a song! How about is Sugar?!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Very well Pinkie Pie, music mode on," Sugar replied. At that moment, they all burst into singing a song about cookies, cake, and other sweet-related things.

"Yeah...I'm not going to bother with that," Flareon said as he quickly left Sugarcube Corner. After he closed the door behind him, Flareon turned around to see Rainbow Dash flying with her robot. They seemed to be having a race. Suddenly, she spotted Flareon and flew down near him.

"Oh hey Flareon, how do you like my robot Speed?" she asked.

"Rainbow Dash...listen to me, we have to destroy your robot!" Flareon yelled. Unfortunately, she burst into laughter. He knew where this was going to go.

"What are you...crazy? Why would I destroy Speed for? Wait a minute...you want to play with him don't you?" Rainbow Dash said as she smirked.

"You moron...this isn't a game! Discord is the one who gave us the robots! They are not safe!" Flareon pleaded.

"Sorry Flareon, but me and Speed here are going to continue our race," Rainbow Dash replied as she signaled to her robot, "Come on Speed...race you to Cloudsdale!"

"Very well master, initiating super flight mode!" Speed said as his hooves began to emit stronger jet flames. Soon after, they quickly flew away. Flareon began to realize that this wouldn't be as easy as he thought. Next, Flareon decided to check on Rarity. When he went into Carousel Boutique, Flareon saw her robot helping Rarity organizing her dresses.

"Royal, would you be a dear and please put those dresses on the ponykins in the corner over there?" Rarity asked.

"Very well your majesty, I will obey your request," Royal replied. As he went over to the dresses, Flareon quickly ran over to Rarity.

"Ok Rarity, here's the plan! You keep him busy and I'll shot a fireball and melt him into a metal puddle. Then you can help me destroy the others! Discord won't get away with this!" Flareon exclaimed as he began to charge up his fire magic. Unfortunately, Rarity was completely appalled.

"Good heaves no! What are you talking about? You are not destroying my precious Royal!" Rarity angrily replied, "I don't care what nonsense you are spewing, but I will not have any part of it. I'm sorry Flareon, but me and Royal are busy at the moment, please leave us alone!" Soon after, Rarity flaunted her mane as she turned her back to him. Sadly for him, Flareon knew this was quickly beginning to become a lost cause. As he closed the door behind him, Flareon couldn't stand the sight of all those robots in town. Everywhere he looked, there was a robot. Those dark, evil, soulless metal tin cans made him sick with disgust.

"Discord...that bastard. He knew this was going to happen! The problem is...when are the robots going to show their true selves?" Flareon muttered, "I'd better go see how Fluttershy is doing. A couple of minutes later, Flareon made it to her cottage. As he opened the door, Flareon quickly expected the animals to attack him, but it amazingly didn't happen this time. The reason was Fluttershy's robot was keeping her animals in check. Mostly because they were so afraid of it and he didn't blame them.

"Oh come on Angel," Fluttershy said, "Fluffy won't hurt you. He's your friend!" Unfortunately, Angel still refused to approach her robot. Soon after, Angel spotted Flareon and quickly ran over to him. She then began hop up and down while pointing to the robot.

"Don't worry Angel, I'm going to destroy that hunk of junk," Flareon replied as Angel smiled and nodded her head. She then jumped on his back as Flareon flew over to Fluttershy and her robot Fluffy. Why the robot was called Fluffy, he couldn't figure it out. As Flareon tackled the robot and pinned it to the ground, he turned to Angel and said, "Ok Angel...hold down its head while I melt the body!" Sadly for them, Fluttershy suddenly pushed them off Fluffy.

"Flareon...Angel, what's going in to you two?" Fluttershy said as she help Fluffy back up, "He didn't do anything wrong!"

"Fluttershy...that robot is Discord's creation! It has to be destroyed!" Flareon yelled as Angel nodded her head.

"Why you need to be such a meanie Flareon?!" Fluttershy said as she began to cry, "All Fluffy wants to do is help!" As she ran into the other room with Fluffy, Angel looked at Flareon concerned and then ran after Fluttershy. As he looked at the animals cowering in the corner, Flareon shook his head in disappointment. He then slowly walked over to the door.

"This is worse than I thought," Flareon said as he left Fluttershy's cottage, "Why won't anyone listen to me?!" Flareon quickly flew into the air and headed for Apple Acres. "I sure hope Applejack hasn't fallen for this obvious trap!" Unfortunately, he was dead wrong...again. As he arrived at Apple Acres, he saw Applejack, Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith standing around their robot. Flareon quickly flew down near them.

"Stand back everyone! I going to burn that metal death trap to the ground!" he yelled. They simply looked at him confused.

"Uh... Flareon, are you sure you're ok?" Applejack replied.

"Are you talking about our robot Bucky?" Apple Bloom asked, "Wait...you want to destroy him, but why?"

"Listen to me, this robot was made by Discord! I don't know what its true purpose is, but I have a bad feeling about all this. You have to believe me!" Flareon pleaded.

"Flareon...don't you think you're becoming a little too paranoid? I mean not everything that happens is the work of Discord. Maybe...you just need to take a nap to calm your head," Applejack said as she turned to their robot, "Come on Bucky, me and you are going to pick some apples!"

"I will try my best Applejack, please lead the way," Bucky replied as he followed after her.

Big Macintosh looked at Flareon and simply replied, "Eeyup." Apple Bloom then walked over and softly patted Flareon's back.

"My big sis is right! Your just need to rest for a bit. I know that being the chosen one can be pretty stressful," Apple Bloom said as she and Big Macintosh walked towards the barn. Granny Smith quickly looked to see that everyone had left and then leaned towards Flareon.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my eye on that contraption. I don't trust that thing either," she whispered in his ear, "I'll holler for ya if I need your help." After Flareon promised Granny Smith to come help if she needed it, he flew into the air and began to headed for the town square.

"I have to make everyone understand how dangerous these robots are! If they end up destroying Ponyville...I'll never forgive myself!" Flareon said. A couple of minutes later, Flareon finally made it to the town square. Much to his chagrin, there were ponies with their robots everywhere. This was the last chance he had to convince everyone to destroy their robo-ponies. There was no doubt about it...this was his last stand. "Everyone...listen up! These robots were sent by Discord! They are evil and must be destroyed! So please...gather the robots in a tight group together and I'll destroy them in a single fireball strike!" Unfortunately, everyone began to laugh at him.

"Why would we do that?" one pony asked, "These robots are amazing!"

"Hey...maybe the chosen one is jealous that these robots are more helpful than he is?" a pony laughed.

"They are a gift from our Princess Celestia!" another pony replied.

"We should just ignore him," a pony said as she signaled to her robot, "Come on Aero...let's go." As the Ponyville residents began to continue what they were previously doing, Flareon decided he had enough.

"Ok...fine!" Flareon said as he threw his hooves over his head in disgust, "If you want to spend time with those ticking time-bombs...that's your problem, not mine! I'm out of here!" Soon after, Flareon angrily flew away from the scene, but as he did, one robo-pony was analyzing him, and once Flareon was out of the robot's vision, its eyes went from green to red.

"The chosen one is gone, initiating chaos mode!" the robot said as every robo-pony's eyes in Ponyville and Cloudsdale also went from green to red. Almost immediately, both towns fell into chaos as the robot ponies began to go crazy. Meanwhile, Twilight had returned home, but when she opened the door, Twilight saw their robot Circuit pounding on Spike's back while he was laying on a table.

"Twilight...help me!" Spike pleaded, "Circuit has gone insane! You call this a massage?!" As Twilight rushed to Spike's aid, she quickly pushed Circuit off him, but the robot then went after Solana, who was playing with her toys."

"Solana!" Twilight yelled as she managed to use her magic to grab Solana and moved her away from Circuit just in time as he crashed into the wall. As books fell onto him, Circuit got back up, and began to walk slowly towards them.

"All hail Alexei, all hail Alexei!" Circuit chanted.

"Oh no...Flareon was right! Discord was definitely behind this! How could I have been so stupid?!" Twilight yelled as she got Solana's carrier and strapped it onto her back. As Spike put Solana into it, they quickly left the house, and Spike slammed the door behind them. When they turned around, Twilight and Spike saw that every robot is Ponyville had gone berserk.

"All hail Alexei, all hail Alexei, all hail Alexei!" the robot ponies chanted as they were causing chaos and destroying Ponyville. Meanwhile, in Cloudsdale, the same thing was happening. Suddenly, Twilight's friends came rushing towards them. As they all began to tell her how their robots went crazy, Twilight tried to calm them down.

"We need to find Flareon!" Twilight exclaimed, "He should be able to use his fire magic to destroy the robots, but...I don't know where he is!"

"I think I saw him fly towards the park," Fluttershy muttered. Right away, they quickly rushed to the park. A couple of minutes later, they found Flareon resting on a tree branch.

"Flareon...Flareon! We need your help! The robots went berserk! Twilight said. Unfortunately, Flareon began to chuckle.

"Well, well...look who it is? Oh...the robots are going crazy you say? Hmm...didn't I try to warn you guys about this? Didn't I say they were sent by Discord?" Flareon replied as he continued to ignore them, "Sorry, but...it's not my problem anymore." As everyone began to yell at him, Twilight put her left hoof up, signaling them to stop.

"Flareon...we're sorry ok? We should have listened. You were right, and we were wrong, but please...help us!" Twilight pleaded. Eventually, after everyone apologized to him, Flareon finally decided it was time to destroy the robo-ponies, though he had wanted to do that for quite a while.

"Ok robo-ponies...let's see how you like fire!" Flareon exclaimed as he quickly headed for town. When he got there, the robots immediately spotted him.

"It's the chosen one! Initiate destruction mode!" a robot pony yelled as all the robots suddenly were shown with missiles, laser guns, and cannons are their backs. As they began to attack Flareon, he smiled. The smile on Flareon's face was that of a manic finally being able to let loose.

"I'm going to enjoy every minute of this!" Flareon exclaimed as he charged up a gigantic fireball, "This is going to be fun!" As Flareon was forced to dodge missiles, lasers, and cannon balls that were repeatedly sent his way, he quickly countered with fireballs. It didn't take long before Flareon had destroyed every single robo-pony in Ponyville, but it wasn't over yet, there was still the robots in Cloudsdale left to deal with. After he flew there, Flareon saw the same situation taking place as the robo-ponies were trying to destroy the town. "Todays weather forecast calls for raining robots!" About 30 minutes later, Flareon successfully managed to defeat every robot pony in Cloudsdale. It was finally over. Every robo-pony in both Ponyville and Cloudsdale was completely destroyed. As Flareon flew back to Ponyville, he was immediately cheered by everyone in town, including Twilight and his friends. Twilight quickly ran over to Flareon and hug and kissed him.

"Thank goodness you're ok!" Twilight said as she stepped back. Solana immediately began to laugh and giggle as she clapped her hooves happily. Flareon then walked over to Solana and patted her softly on the head.

"Yeah Solana...your daddy just kicked some robo-butt!" Flareon said as she turned to his friends, "I'm glad to see you're all ok!" At that moment, a letter appeared before in the air before them. As Twilight opened it, she began to read the letter aloud.

"Dear Twilight, Canterlot is being attacked by these crazy robot ponies! At first I thought it was a gift from my parents, but I was wrong! Please send Flareon to come help us! Sincerely, Celestia." It turns out, Ponyville and Cloudsdale weren't the only ones to receive the robo-ponies. At that moment, an ecstatic Flareon quickly flew into the air. He actually appeared happy to be able to destroy more robots.

"I'll be back!" Flareon said as he smiled and saluted to everyone. The robo-ponies in Canterlot were about to find out what happens when a pony who controls fire is able to go all-out as much as his heart desires.


	10. Dragon Overdrive

Chapter 10  
Dragon Overdrive

Maximus, also known as the century dragon, is a shadow dragon created by Alexei that can clone himself 100 times. In terms of rank, Maximus is the lowest ranking general in Alexei's army. He is also the youngest. Maximus is hot-headed, cocky, stubborn, impulsive, fearless, and a loose cannon. He doesn't listen the other dragon generals, especially Discord. The only one he has respect for is Alexei, mostly because Maximus fears Alexei due to his overwhelming vicious presence. Even though he's just a kid, Maximus was more than a challenge for the Elemental Warriors. Flareon was soon about to find out how powerful Maximus was for himself. It all began one afternoon in Death Valley, Alexei was sitting in his throne eating a slab of meat off a large bone, when suddenly, he began to smile.

"Discord...do you remember our dear general Maximus?" Alexei said as he threw the bone to the pile of bones resting in the corner to the cavern. Discord, who was resting in the air reading a book, looked at Alexei seriously and sighed.

"Ah yes...him," Discord replied, "I remember Maximus very clearly. That kid never listened to word I said. Why do you ask?" Alexei slowly got up from his throne and walked to the middle of the room.

"More of my power has returned to me, enough that I'm now able to resurrect Maximus," Alexei said as he stretched out his right claw and began to gather power into it. Unfortunately, Discord didn't seem happy at what Alexei had just said.

"Lord Alexei...are you sure you want to bring him back?" Discord replied, "No offense, but...shouldn't you wait till your able to resurrect the others instead? Can we even trust Maximus?" Alexei simply chuckled at Discord's words.

"Oh come now Discord...that's no way to treat your fellow dragon. You don't need to worry, Maximus will carry out this mission I have for him, I guarantee it," Alexei said as he looked at the big black ball of dark energy in his right claw. Soon after, he fired the energy at the ground before him, and a few seconds later, it dispersed and a small winged dragon was seen standing before them. The dragon looked around the room and spotted Alexei.

"Oh...Alexei, you here," Maximus said. He turned his head and saw Discord. "Why is that dork here?" Discord simply stuck out his tongue at Maximus. "Wait...where are the others at? What's going on? The last thing I remembered was fighting a group of ponies at Fort Hope and then everything went black."

"When I was sealed by Nova and the Elemental Warriors, my entire army disappeared, including you and the other generals. It has been 10,000 years since we last lived in Equestria, everything is very different now, but our goal remains the same. In about five years, once all my power returns to me, I will finally take over Equestria! This time...the Elemental Warriors won't be able to stop me!" Alexei proclaimed.

"Alright dude...cool, but what should I do? Now that those elemental losers are dead, whose butt do I get to kick now? I mean...seriously, I don't want to spend five years hanging around with dofus over there!" Maximus replied.

"You see Maximus...there is this chosen one that is supposedly destined to defeat me. His name is Flareon and he has the same power as Nova, though Flareon is clearly inferior to him. Still...I would like you to kill Flareon for me. He lives in a town called Ponyville. Think you can handle that...Maximus?" Alexei said. At that moment, Maximus burst out laughing.

"You're kidding right? All I have to do is kill one pony? That's it? This is going to be easy!" Maximus proclaimed as he flew into the air, "I'll be back in no time at all!" As Maximus flew past Discord, he looked at him and said, "Smell ya later grandpa!" After Maximus left, Discord walked over to Alexei.

"My lord...how do you think Flareon will fare against Maximus?" Discord asked.

"I can't say for sure, but it would be a shame if he would lose to Maximus. Like I said before...I would like to be the one who kills Flareon. Hopefully, he can at least help Flareon get stronger. It doesn't matter to me if Maximus ends up dying, because I still have the others," Alexei replied as he and Discord began to laugh malevolently. Meanwhile, in Golden Oak Library, Flareon, Twilight, and Spike were playing with Solana, when suddenly, the door opened and Rainbow Dash came inside.

"Flareon...a dragon appeared in Ponyville. He's calling your name!" she exclaimed, "I think he was sent by Alexei!"

As Flareon got up, he turned to a worried Twilight and said, "Don't worry Twilight...I got this."

"Just be careful...ok?" she replied. Soon after, Flareon quickly left the house with Rainbow Dash and headed into town. While they were flying, he told Rainbow Dash to help the Ponyville residents escape to safety. Meanwhile, Maximus was walking through Ponyville and laughing at all the scared ponies who were running away.

"Come out Flareon! Don't make me destroy this pathetic little town just to make you coming out of hiding! Show yourself already you coward!" Maximus yelled. Suddenly, he spotted Flareon land before him. "It's about time you showed up loser!" At that moment, Rainbow Dash was trying to help the Ponyville residents escape to safety.

"Come on everyone...follow me!" Rainbow Dash said as ponies quickly followed her out of town. Flareon then looked closer at the dragon and began to laugh. Maximus was a small, young dragon that was probably no older than Apple Bloom. Was this the best Alexei could do?

"Is this a joke?" Flareon said as he tried to stop laughing, "Alexei sent some little kid after me? Is her even taking me serious anymore?" Right away, Maximus started to lose his temper.

"Quit calling me a kid you stupid horse!" Maximus yelled, "Alexei sent me here to kill you and that's what I'm going to do!" Sadly for him, Flareon was still laughing at him.

"Yeah ok kid...you and what army?" Flareon replied. Instead of getting more angry, Maximus started to smile mischievously. Flareon started to get worried as something seemed off. What was Maximus planning?

"Allow me to show you...my true power!" Maximus proclaimed, "Once I kill you, Alexei is definitely going to move me up in rank! I'm so going to shove this victory right in that old geezer Discord's face!" At that moment, Maximus's body split in half, and soon after, two Maximuses appeared before him. Unfortunately, it didn't stop there. It wasn't long before two became four, four become eight, eight became sixteen, and so on until, Flareon was surrounded by 100 Maximuses. Flareon couldn't even tell which one was the real Maximus. "How do you like my special ability? Come on guys," Maximus said as he signaled to his clones," Attack the chosen one now!" Flareon had no choice, he was going to battle 100 dragons by himself. He then quickly flew towards the clones and the battle between Flareon and Maximus began. A couple of minutes later, Flareon was beginning to learn Maximus's battle strategy, mainly that he didn't have one. All the Maximus clones simply did was constantly charged at him recklessly and aimed fireballs at him without thinking. Even though Maximus didn't have a strategy, that actually didn't seem to matter in the big picture. The problem was that no matter how many clones Flareon defeated, Maximus simply cloned himself again to make up for the numbers he lost. If Flareon defeated ten clones, Maximus would create another ten. If Flareon killed twenty clones, Maximus would make twenty again. It didn't take long before it struck Flareon. This was turning out to be a never ending battle. Suddenly, the clones stopped attacking. As Maximus looked at Flareon, who was panting heavily, he began to laugh. "This is the best you got dude?" Maximus said as he pointed to him and laughed, "You're so pathetic! Alexei was right! You're not even close to as strong as Nova was! Seriously...you aren't even a challenge! I've wasted enough time playing around with such a weakling! I'm going to end this right now!" At that moment, a Maximus clone suddenly grabbed Flareon's legs, and then a clone grabbed the clones' legs, and one after another, it continued until all the Maximus clones had formed a giant snake. Suddenly, the clone snake turned hard right and Flareon was flung into the side of a building. It continued going right as Flareon was sent crashing through building after building. The clone snake then turned left and Flareon crashed through the building on the left side. The clone snake went upwards and Flareon was forced high into the air. As the clone snake reared back and began to fling Flareon into the ground, the Maximus clone that was holding onto Flareon's legs yelled, "Maximus...Super Whiplash!" Soon after, Flareon was sent crashing into the ground. The force of the impact was so strong that a huge shockwave was seen flying from the area. As the dust dispersed, Flareon was seen lying on the ground in a crater. A Maximus clone began to laugh at him. "How did you like my ultimate technique? It's almost as awesome I am! I might as well finish you off now!" Things were looking very bad for Flareon. He was beginning to think to himself, was he going to die? Suddenly, Twilight and Solana appeared in his mind which started to give Flareon hope. He couldn't die here, especially since he had a family depending on him. As the Maximus clones began to charge at him, Flareon used his fire magic to make a smoke screen appear around him as all 100 clones charged through the smoke screen and crashed into the ground. A few seconds later, after the smoke dispersed, the Maximus clones were surprised to find out Flareon was nowhere to be seen. A clone quickly looked around and yelled, "Quit hiding you coward!" He then signaled to the other clones. "What are you waiting for you morons?! Go find him!" Soon after, the Maximus clones began to search around the area. Meanwhile, Flareon was hiding behind a building and peaked his head around the corner to see the clones searching for him.

"I have to find a way to end this," Flareon muttered, "No matter how may clones I defeat, Maximus just keeps cloning himself to make up for the lost numbers. If I'm going to beat Maximus, I have to defeat all 100 Maximus clones at the same time, but how?" At that moment, Flareon remembered something Rainbow Dash had showed him once. She could create a tornado by flying low to the ground and going upwards in a circle at high-speed. Rainbow Dash could also send the tornado in a direction by kicking it. Flareon was then stuck by an idea. "I think...this should be powerful enough to defeat all 100 Maximus clones in one blow. Here goes nothing!" As Flareon flew into the open, the clones quickly spotted him.

"Well, well...the coward finally showed himself!" a Maximus clone yelled, "Come on guys...let's kill this loser already!" As the clones began to charge at him, Flareon used his fire magic to cloak himself in fire, flew low to the ground, and went upwards in a circle at fast as he could. A few seconds later, Flareon had successfully managed to create a tornado made purely out of fire.

"Take this...Fire Tornado!" Flareon yelled as he kicked it towards the rapidly approaching clones. Since the Maximus clones were grouped tightly together, they weren't able to avoid the Fire Tornado's powerful suction. As all 100 clones got sucked into the tornado, they soon screamed in pain as one by one, the Maximus clones vanished in the blazing inferno. A few seconds later, the Fire Tornado finally disappeared. Flareon slowly landed on the ground to rest. It was over at last, he had defeated Maximus. Suddenly, he heard sound of approaching hooves and turned around to see Twilight and his friends coming towards him. Flareon's friends smiled happily as they began to congratulate him on his victory. As Twilight furiously hugged and kiss Flareon with tears in her eyes, he flinched in pain. It wasn't until now that Flareon realized how badly he was injured. Right away, she noticed that Flareon was hurt.

"Come on Flareon...let me help you to the hospital," Twilight said. When she saw his face, Twilight replied, "Don't give me that tough guy act, you're going to rest at the hospital, don't even think about arguing with me. I was worried sick about you!" After the hard, tough battle Flareon had just experienced with Maximus, he knew that arguing with Twilight if he needed to go to the hospital or not was a whole different battle on its own and one that Flareon wasn't going to win. He then let Twilight grab his right hoof and put in around her back as they slowly began to walk towards the Ponyville Hospital. Not only did Flareon defeat Maximus, he also obtained a new technique, the Fire Tornado.


	11. Enemies With Benefits

Chapter 11  
Enemies With Benefits

It was a cold, stormy afternoon in Equestria. Raining was pouring down as lightning flashed in the darky sky and thunder could be heard cracking loudly. Flareon was flying as fast as he could while carrying a bag. A scroll could be seen poking out of it. "I've got to deliver this scroll to Princess Celestia!" Flareon yelled as he was trying to dodge the lightning bolts that were striking down around him. "Seriously...why did if have to storm like this now? Why couldn't it wait till I got back home? Oh well...nothing I can do about it now. I just hope I don't get struck by lightning." At that moment, Flareon was hit by a lightning bolt. All that was left was a piece of the bag that slowly fell to the wet ground. Flareon was dead. Nah...I'm just joking. The chosen one wouldn't simply die like that. What actually happened to our hero would involve a journey into another dimension. As Flareon awoke, he noticed he was lying on the ground. Flareon began to rub his forehead. "What...just...happened? Did I just get struck by lightning?" Flareon said as he stood up. Flareon turned his head and saw the remains of the bag and scroll. They had nearly been burnt to ashes. "No...no...no! The scroll is destroyed! Princess Celestia is going to be so mad at me! She trusted me with this task and I failed. I might as well go to her and apologize." Flareon then looked up at the dark sky and immediately noticed something was off. "Wait...wasn't it just storming a minute ago? Also...if it's not storming anymore, then why is the sky still dark? I could have swore it was still in mid-afternoon." Flareon decided he was simply overthinking and shook his head trying to regain concentration for the task at hand. "I don't have time to worry about all this now, I have tell Princess Celestia about what happened to the scroll." Soon after, Flareon flew into the air and continued on to Canterlot. An hour later, he finally arrived, but something was wrong, very wrong. It wasn't the white, glowing capital of love and hope that Flareon remembered. The houses, buildings, and even the castle, was completely black. He could feel a very dark, evil presence coming from the city. "I see Princess Celestia has done some...um... interesting renovations to Canterlot." As Flareon landed down near the castle entrance, he was surrounded by the royal guards. Strangely, the guards did not have their usual white coats, they were dark black, almost shadow-like. "Hey guys...um...I see your coats match the color of the city, it seems cool...I guess."

"State your business here slave!" a guard yelled, "Lord Celestia is very busy! Unless this is an important matter, please leave now and go back to your assigned duty!" It took a while for Flareon to take in everything the guard had just said.

"Celestia is calling herself a lord now?" Flareon asked as he couldn't help but chuckle, "Ok...wait...hold on. Did you just call me a slave? Assigned duty? Also...where are the citizens at? This city is almost like a ghost town. Why do I feel the heavy presence of death everywhere?" As the royal guards started to advance towards him angrily, Flareon suddenly heard a familiar voice come from the castle balcony.

"My dear shadow ponies...what is what all the annoying racket? I was in the middle of a relaxing massage!" the voice yelled. When Flareon looked up, his jaw dropped. Princess Celestia's coat was black like the dark sky. He could see the vicious intent in Celestia's eyes and the evil, sinister aurora emitting from her. This was not the kind, caring, gentle Princess of Equestria. There was something weird going on. A black city, black royal guards, and a black Celestia? Flareon had a feeling that they weren't celebrating Halloween. When Celestia spotted Flareon, her eyes widened in shock.

"Flareon!" Celestia exclaimed, "No! That's impossible! How...how did you escape the dungeon?! Guards...seize him!" As Flareon dodged the guards attempts to grab him, he quickly flew out of Canterlot. Unfortunately, the guards were still chasing after him. Flareon then flew down to a river and hide under the bridge. As he slowly peaked his head from under the bridge, Flareon watched as the guards flew in different directions. After they were gone, Flareon was trying to figure out what just happened.

"What the in the world is going on?!" Flareon muttered, "First Canterlot, then the royal guards, and now Princess Celestia?! It's almost like I'm in a twisted version of Equestria or something! Wait...did she just call her guards shadow ponies? That makes no sense! The only one who can make shadow creatures is Alexei! Oh no! When I was gone, did Alexei do something to Celestia? No...that can't be right. Ever since Alexei was revived, Celestia has had a triple-layer magic shield protecting Canterlot. There was no way Alexei or Discord could have gotten through it! None of this adds up, I need to get back home and calm my head. Hopefully, Twilight can tell me what happened to Princess Celestia." Soon after, Flareon flew into the air and headed for Golden Oak Library. When he got to Ponyville, he couldn't believe his eyes. The town looked like it had been hit by a nuke. Ponyville was completely in ruin as the buildings and houses were either destroyed or barely were standing at all. Soon after, he managed to make it to Golden Oak Library, or what was left of his house. As he opened the broken door and went inside, he saw Twilight, whose legs were locked in chains. She was sitting by candle light and reading a book while stacks of books laid around her.

"Twilight?" Flareon said as he slowly approached her, "Twilight, it's me...Flareon." When she turned around, Twilight immediately began to tear up as she ran to hug him.

"Flareon!" Twilight said as tears ran fell down her face, "Thank goodness your ok! I thought when Celestia captured you...I would never see you again. How did you escape her dungeon in Canterlot?" It was at that moment Flareon desperately needed answers.

"Twilight...what happened to Ponyville, Equestria, and Princess Celestia? What is going on?" Flareon asked as Twilight leg go of him and took a few steps back.

"Princess Celestia?" a confused Twilight replied. "What are you talking about?! That heartless witch could never be our princess! After what she did to Prince Alexei and Prince Discord...I could never forgive her!" Flareon was completely baffled. Alexei and Discord were princes? When did that happen? It suddenly struck Flareon. It may be possible that this was not the same Equestria. It was almost like he was in another dimension. He was going to test this theory.

"Twilight," Flareon said softly, "Who showed me the ancient prophecy? Was it Celestia or Alexei?"

"It was Prince Alexei...don't you remember?" she replied. He was right, this was not the same world, it was a different one. The problem was, how did he end up here?

"Look Twilight...I'm not the Flareon you remember. You see...in my world Celestia is the Princess of Equestria and Alexei is an evil dragon that has command of the shadows, but in my world, Alexei hasn't taken over Equestria. What happened here? How did Princess Celestia...I mean Celestia...take over Canterlot and Equestria? What happened to our friends? Also...where are Spike and Solana at?" Suddenly, Twilight burst into tears.

"Celestia, she...she," Twilight replied as she tried to speak, "After Celestia took over Equestria, she came here and tried to take Solana away, but Spike wouldn't let her. He tried to protect us, but Celestia killed him when he refused to move. She then took Solana back with her to Canterlot." Flareon couldn't believe it, Spike was dead? It was almost impossible to comprehend, but then again, this was a different world.

"Why did she want Solana so badly?" Flareon asked.

"Celestia plans on raising Solana as her own daughter. She is going to have Solana take over her spot as dictator once she dies. That's why Celestia has me chained up here researching all these books. She wants me to find a way for her to become immortal so she can live forever. If I do, Celestia promises me she'll give my daughter back. I just want to see my baby girl again. I want to see her so badly!" Twilight replied. She burst into tears once again as she fell into Flareon's hooves. A few minutes later, she was able to recover. "You said you're a different Flareon and that you're from another Equestria? If that's true, then the Flareon I know is still locked in the Canterlot Castle Dungeon. How did you end up here? Do you remember anything?" Twilight asked. Flareon tried to recall the moment he came to this Equestria.

"I was...um...flying through this thunderstorm while carrying a scroll I was supposed to deliver to Princess Celestia. Soon after, a bright flashed appeared and before I knew it, I awoke by a burnt scroll. I think I may have been struck by lightning," Flareon replied. Twilight pondered for about five minutes before she began to speak.

"Do you know what kind of scroll it was?" Twilight asked.

"No," Flareon replied, "The scientists from Fillydelphia just told me bring it to Princess Celestia right away, that's about it."

"Flareon...it might be possible that the scroll you were carrying was a dimension scroll. I think I've read about it in a book once. The dimension scroll contains a powerful spell that is able to bring the user into another dimension. Unfortunately, the only way to activate the spell is by using very powerful electric magic, or in your case, a lightning bolt. The downside is the dimension scroll can only be used once. After the spell finished, the scroll is can no longer be used."

"Wait...it can only be used once?" Flareon exclaimed, "Then that means...I'm stuck here?! How do I get back to my Equestria? Is there another way?"

"No...I'm sorry Flareon, the only way to travel between dimensions is by the dimension scroll. I don't know any other way," Twilight replied. Suddenly, she stood up. "It may be possible that there is another dimension scroll in the Castle Archives in Canterlot, but to get it, you'll have to make it past Celestia and Luna. Oh..I'm sorry, in this Equestria, Luna is the Queen of Chaos. If I'm right, then that means in your Equestria Discord is the King of Chaos. If I wish I could ask you more about what your Equestria is like, but we don't have time for that. Unfortunately, we're going to need help if we want to break into Canterlot. First, we need the help of Prince Alexei and Prince Discord, then we are going to save our friends from the Diamond Mines. After Celestia took over Equestria, she forced everyone in Ponyville, Cloudsdale, and Canterlot into slave labor in the Diamond Mines where they constantly dig for gems to give to Celestia and Luna."

"Ok...sounds like a plan," Flareon said as he got up, "Where are Alexei and Discord at?"

"After they were banished from Canterlot, I heard Prince Alexei and Prince Discord took refuge inside a cave in the Everfree Forest. I think I know where they might be hiding," Twilight replied. Soon after, Flareon used his fire magic to melt the chains of her legs. He then kneeled down so Twilight could get on his back, but she began to blush embarrassed.

"Flareon, are you sure...this is...ok?" Twilight muttered as her checks were bright red. He simply laughed at her reaction.

"Twilight...come on, it's ok. I don't mind," Flareon replied as he smiled. She reluctantly got on his back and put her hooves around his waist. After they made sure there were no shadow ponies around, Flareon flew into the air and quickly headed for the Everfree Forest. About 30 minutes later, they finally made it to a cave that was hidden behind a group of trees. As Flareon and Twilight walked inside, they could hear voices.

"Alexei...we need to retake Canterlot! We can't give up now!" a voice said.

"I'm sorry Discord, we can't do it by ourselves without getting captured. I wish we had Flareon to help us, but he's in a dungeon cell that is mostly likely heavily guarded. Without him, it is impossible," another voiced replied. When Flareon and Twilight approached them, he couldn't believe his eyes. Alexei was pure white instead of his usual dark black. The presence Flareon felt from him was similar to Princess Celestia. The same love, hope, and grace flowed from his body. Suddenly, Alexei spotted them, and was amazed to see Flareon.

"Flareon! How...how did you escape Canterlot?!" Alexei exclaimed, "There was no way Twilight here could have done it by herself!" Soon after, she began to explain the situation to Alexei and Discord about how Flareon was from a different dimension and that he needs to break into the Castle Achieves in Canterlot to get another dimension scroll so he could return home. Twilight also told them about how they need to rescue their friends from the Diamonds Mines if their assault on Canterlot is going to be successful. Not to mention that were going to help the other Flareon escape from his dungeon cell. After she was done explaining, Alexei and Discord pondered for a moment. "Hmm...this plan could work, but it's a long shot. We're going to have to rescue your friends from the Diamond Mines very quietly without alerting the guards. Even if we do, breaking into Canterlot isn't going to be easy, but with Flareon here, we might have a chance. If we can get into Canterlot and rescue our Flareon, then with his help, we could finally defeat Celestia and Luna," Alexei said. After everyone agreed to the plan, he turned to his fellow prince. "Come Discord, we're going to the Diamond Mines to save their friends."

"Wait! What about us?!" Flareon exclaimed.

"I'm sorry Flareon, but you and Twilight need to stay hidden. If we fail and get captured, it will be up to you guys," Alexei replied as he and Discord walked past them. Flareon could only watch as they quickly left the cave. For first time, Flareon was forced to put his trust in Alexei and Discord. At that moment, Twilight softly put her right hoof on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Flareon, we have to believe in Alexei and Discord. I know they be enemies in your Equestria, but here, they are kind and caring princes," Twilight said. Flareon simply smiled as he nodded his head slowly. About three hours later, Alexei and Discord returned. Including Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. All of them were completely covered with dirt. As everyone celebrated a happy reunion, Twilight began to explain the current situation, but was relieved when Alexei told them about how he already explained everything. Soon after, Flareon was seen drawing up their plan in the dirt while they crowded around him.

"Ok...here's what we're gonna do. Alexei...you, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack are going doing to be the distraction. You guys are going to attack Canterlot head-on and create as much noise as possible to draw Celestia's attention. Discord...you, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie are going blindside them from behind. I want you guys to go to the back entrance and sneak quietly into the castle. Once you're safely inside, make your way to the dungeon and rescue Flareon. Once you do, I want you guys to cause as much noise as you can. With Celestia being busy fighting Alexei's group, she will most likely send Luna with some of her shadow ponies to confront you. Meanwhile, me, Twilight, and Fluttershy will go to the west side of Canterlot, near the castle, and make our way into a secret entrance that Alexei has reveled to us. I will go to the archives and get the dimension scroll, while Twilight and Fluttershy will go to Celestia's bedroom and rescue Solana. That's about the gist of it. Do you guys have any questions?" Flareon asked. When no one said anything, he smiled. "Alright...it looks like Operation: Canterlot Assault is a go!" As everyone got up, Alexei approached him while muttering something under his breath. He then touched Flareon for just a second and let go.

"What did you just do to me?" Flareon asked.

"It was an elemental spell," Alexei replied, "For three hours your fire magic has been changed to the electric element. That way once you obtain the dimension scroll, you will be able to activate its spell and return home to your dimension." After Flareon thanked him, they went outside the cave and quickly made way for Canterlot. This was going to be the toughest challenge for Flareon yet, but thankfully, he wasn't alone. Not only did Flareon have Twilight and his friends with him, he had the help of Alexei and Discord. Celestia and Luna didn't know what was about to hit them. Later on, Flareon's plan worked to perfection. As Alexei's group distracted Celestia in town, Discord's grouped successfully managed to enter the castle from the back, and were able to bust out Flareon from his jail cell. After they had caused enough ruckus, Celestia fell for their trick and sent Luna with some shadow ponies to confront them. Soon after, Twilight and Fluttershy made it to Celestia's bedroom and found Solana sleeping soundly in her crib. After a teary, heartfelt reunion with her daughter, Twilight put on a carrier she found in a corner, and Fluttershy strapped a joyful Solana into it. Thanks to Alexei and Discord's group, Twilight and Fluttershy successfully managed to escape Canterlot without any problems, and headed back to Golden Oak Library. Meanwhile, Flareon finally made it to the archives room. Nearly 30 minutes later, after searching shelf after shelf of scrolls, Flareon finally found what he was looking for, the dimension scroll. As Flareon opened the scroll and laid it down on the floor, he began to use his new electric magic to activate the scroll, but then Flareon hesitated. He thought about Twilight, Solana, his friends, Alexei, Discord, the other Flareon, and everyone else. Was it right for him to abandon them when they were in a heated battle that determined the fate of this Equestria? Flareon then remembered what Twilight had told them before they made it to Canterlot.

"Don't worry about us ok? I know once you get the dimension scroll, you'll hesitate and think you should stay and help us, but don't because this is our battle. You have your own battle to fight. There are ponies that are counting on you back on your Equestria right? Please...for me, go back to your family and friends. Also...I'm not sure how two Flareons would be able to work well with each other. That is an entirely different battle on its own, if you know what I mean," Twilight said as she smiled at him. Flareon then smiled and let out a chuckle.

"Well...I can't argue with her there," Flareon said as he charged up an electro ball, "I guess this is goodbye everyone. Good luck in your battle! I hope you guys win!" Flareon then shot the electro ball at the open scroll and it quickly let out a bright flash. After the flash disappeared, Flareon was nowhere to be seen. Later on, he awoke to rain drops hitting his face. Flareon looked around and noticed he was back at the same spot where he had been hit by the lightning bolt. Even though it was still storming, Flareon didn't seem to mind at all as he closed eyes, and fell down backwards onto the wet ground while smiling. "It's good to be back home!" A few seconds later, the rain stopped as the clouds parted reveling the warm light from the sun. Flareon was then seen sleeping by the burnt scroll while flowers bloomed nearby.


	12. Lovestruck

Chapter 12  
Lovestruck

Rainbow Dash always insisted she didn't need a boyfriend. She didn't think that there was any stallion that could handle her speed, athleticism, and awesomeness. That they would just slow her down. Rainbow Dash believed that love was a useless emotion and ponies that let it overtake them was a sign of weakness. She would never let herself fall in love...ever. It was a sunny, warm morning in Ponyville. Rainbow Dash was flying through town and accidentally crashed into someone. As she rubbed her sore head, Rainbow Dash yelled, "Hey! Watch where you're flying!" When she turned around, Rainbow Dash's voice suddenly disappeared. Sitting before her was a male pegasus. He was smiling at her. For some reason, Rainbow Dash's face felt as if it was on fire. Her hooves started to become clammy and she began to shake uncontrollably as her heart beat furiously.

"I'm sorry," the pegasus replied, "I wasn't paying attention to where I was flying. By the way...name is Blue Thunder. What's your name?" Unfortunately, when Rainbow Dash tried to speak, all that came out of her mouth was gibberish. Blue Thunder smiled again as he let out a small chuckle. "I'm sorry, but I didn't catch that." At that moment, Rainbow Dash knew she was only left with one option, and that was to escape this situation before it became worse. She then quickly flew into the air and sped away from Blue Thunder as fast as possible. A few seconds later, Rainbow Dash finally got her voice back. She could not believe what had just happened.

"What...what was wrong with me back there?!" a panicked Rainbow Dash said, "That guy, Blue Thunder...it is possible I...love him?" Rainbow Dash then shook her head in disbelief as what she had just said. "No...that's ridiculous. I'm Rainbow Dash. I don't fall in love!" Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash knew there was no other way around it. There was just too many obvious signs. Losing her voice, face on fire, clammy hooves, fast-beating heart, and uncontrollably shaking. She had fallen head over hooves for Blue Thunder. The problem was, Rainbow Dash didn't know what to do. She never had a boyfriend before. Rainbow Dash had to find someone who could help her ask out Blue Thunder on a date. At that moment, she accidentally crashed into someone once again. This time however, it was Flareon. As they both tried to recover, she immediately began to speak, but Rainbow Dash was talking so fast he couldn't understand anything she was saying.

"Whoa! Calm down Rainbow Dash!" Flareon replied, "I can't understand a word you're saying!" She then took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Even though Rainbow Dash tried, she couldn't help but blush.

"Um...Flareon," Rainbow Dash muttered, "I think...I may be...in love." She expected Flareon to laugh, but was relieved when he didn't. Rainbow Dash then remembered that Flareon was married to Twilight. He was also a stallion like Blue Thunder. Maybe Flareon could help her? "I was wondering...could you perhaps...help me...ask this guy Blue Thunder...out on...a date? Please?" Suddenly, Flareon put his left hoof softly on her shoulder.

"Need help with the dating scene huh Rainbow Dash?" Well...you came to the right guy!" Flareon replied, "Ok...first off, let's go to my house. I'm going to give you a crash course in love! I'll call it...Dating 101!" For some reason, Rainbow Dash was starting to have her doubts, but left without any choice, she reluctantly followed him to Golden Oak Library. Luckily for Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Spike weren't home. Flareon told her that they took Solana to the park. Rainbow Dash then let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't quite ready yet to tell anyone else that she had fallen in love. Soon after, Flareon got started on teaching Rainbow Dash everything he knew about the subject of dating. Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly a dating master. Back when Flareon was a human, he never had a girlfriend. Flareon never even tried asking one out, but did he read books about it. Luckily for him, Rainbow Dash didn't need to know that. Two hours later, Flareon decided it was finally time to Rainbow Dash to the one thing she never thought she would ever end up doing in her life. Asking Blue Thunder out on a date. While searching through Ponyville, they suddenly spotted Blue Thunder resting on a bench near the water fountain in the town square. It was now or never. Eventually, Flareon was able to convince Rainbow Dash, who was starting to get cold hooves, to go up to Blue Thunder and ask him out.

"Um...Blue Thunder?" Rainbow Dash sad as she walked slowly towards him, "I'm here...to ask...you." Suddenly, she began to panic as words failed to come out her mouth. Rainbow Dash turned her head to see Flareon signaling to her to not give up. She then looked back at Blue Thunder and took a deep breath. "I'm here to ask you out on a date!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Blue Thunder simply smiled and replied, "Ok...sure, but before that, can you please tell me your name?"

She quickly began to blush. "My name is Rainbow Dash."

"Rainbow Dash...that's a beautiful name," Blue Thunder said as he got off the bench. "So, where do you want to go?"

"How about the Ponyville Amusement Park?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Ok cool," Blue Thunder replied as he flew into the air, "Wanna race there?" Rainbow Dash quickly flew up beside him and smiled happily.

"Think you can keep up with me? I don't mean to brag, but I am the fastest flyer around here. Not to mention, I won the Best Young Flyer competition in Cloudsdale," Rainbow Dash said as she stretched out her wings and got into a racing stance. Blue Thunder closed his eyes and smiled. Soon after, they quickly set off towards the amusement park. As Flareon watched them disappear, he let of a sign of relief and smiled.

"Good luck Rainbow Dash," Flareon said as he headed to the park to find Twilight and Spike. Later on, Rainbow Dash's date with Blue Thunder couldn't have gone more perfectly. It was getting dark, so Blue Thunder decided to accompany Rainbow Dash back to her house. When they got there, he opened the door for her.

"I had a great time today Rainbow Dash. I have to say...you're the most amazing, fun, witty, and awesome girl I have ever met. I hope to see you tomorrow," Blue Thunder said. She couldn't help but blush.

I had fun too Blue Thunder. We'll definitely hang out again soon. Well...see ya," Rainbow Dash replied as she went inside and slowly closed the door behind her. Rainbow Dash then went to the bedroom and flung herself onto the bed. Soon after, she quickly feel into a deep, calm sleep. Meanwhile, as Blue Thunder was walking away from her house, he smiled mischievously.

"This is turning out to be easier than I thought," Blue Thunder said as he flew into the night sky. The next morning, after meeting Blue Thunder in the Ponyville Town Square, Rainbow Dash decided she was ready to finally introduce Blue Thunder to all her friends, and wasn't afraid to admit she now had a boyfriend. After showing him to Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, they quickly began to realize something about Blue Thunder. He was actually a complete jerk, especially to Rainbow Dash. He bossed her around, made inappropriate jokes about her, even when she was sitting right by him, forced her to embarrassing things, and worse to all, hit her when she didn't do something exactly as he said. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash was so much in love, she didn't notice any of it. Flareon felt somewhat responsible for letting this happen. Eventually, everyone decided to meet up at Golden Oak Library to discuss how to break it to Rainbow Dash that her new boyfriend wasn't the charming, kind gentlepony she thought he was. They decided to invite Rainbow Dash and Blue Thunder for a picnic in the park. Later on, after everyone arrived, Rainbow Dash went to get a drink for Blue Thunder. When she got back, Rainbow Dash happily gave it to him, however, he quickly spit out the drink and tossed the contents right in her face.

"I told you lemonade! Not orange juice!" Blue Thunder yelled, "Why are you such a moron?! Rainbow Dash tried to apologize, but Blue Thunder quickly interrupted her as he got up. "Just say here! I'll do it this myself." After he left, everyone looked at each other worried and nodded. This was a perfect chance to talk to Rainbow Dash.

As she wiped off her face, Flareon said, "Rainbow Dash...we need to talk. It's about him."

"I know! Isn't he awesome?!" Rainbow Dash happily replied, "Thanks for helping me and him get together Flareon!" It was almost too sad to bear as everyone was beginning to get very concerned about their friend.

"Rainbow Dash...I'm sorry but, Blue Thunder is a complete jerk!" Twilight exclaimed, "How can you not see it? He's totally taking advantage of you!"

"She's right," Applejack replied, "That guy is more rotten than a three-month old apple!"

"I have to agree with them," Fluttershy muttered, "Blue Thunder is just a big meanie!" Even though everyone tried to tell Rainbow Dash that Blue Thunder was a jerk, who was completely taking advantage of her, and how he abused her, Rainbow Dash didn't want to hear any of it. Suddenly, Blue Thunder returned with his drink. After he tossed the cup onto the grass, Blue Thunder put his right hoof around Rainbow Dash's shoulder and smiled.

"You think it's time we tell everyone the big news?" he asked. Right away, Rainbow Dash began to blush furiously and smiled. She then turned to face her still worried and concerned friends.

"Me and Blue Thunder are getting married!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Immediately, everyone gasped in complete horror. They couldn't believe what she had just said. Rainbow Dash was marrying this jerk? It was almost too insane to be true. As she and Blue Thunder kissed, Flareon felt a strong sensation of anger. He desperately wanted to punch him right in his face.

"Since the wedding is set to be tomorrow, can you girls help me pick out my wedding dress?" an embarrassed Rainbow Dash asked. As they got up and followed after Rainbow Dash, Twilight walked by him and whispered in his hear.

"Don't worry, we'll try to convince her again. There's absolutely no way we're letting her marry this jerk," she muttered. After they left, Flareon walked over to Blue Thunder.

"If you think I'm going to let you marry my friend after how you've constantly abused her, you've got another thing coming bud!" Flareon yelled angrily. Unfortunately, Blue Thunder began to laugh at him.

"You can't do anything Flareon!" Blue Thunder replied as he smirked. "If you haven't noticed, Rainbow Dash loves me! We're getting married whether you guys like it or not!" Soon after, Blue Thunder flew away. Flareon could still hear his laugh echoing in the distance. Meanwhile, Twilight and the others were having no luck at all convincing Rainbow Dash to call off the wedding. She just kept ignoring their pleas. After Rainbow Dash purchased her wedding dress, she put it on her back, and turned to face her worried friends.

"Why can't you be happy for me?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I finally found a guy that I want to spend my life with and you all just kept trying to tell me he's some sort of bad guy! I love him ok?! I love him!" Soon after, she ran out of the store with tears in her eyes. Rainbow Dash then flew into the air and quickly headed back home. Later on in Cloudsdale, she arrived back to her house and went inside. After she closed the door behind her, Rainbow Dash went to her bedroom and laid the wedding dress out on the bed. "Why can't they understand how I feel?" Rainbow Dash muttered. Suddenly, she spotted a note on her dresser. After Rainbow Dash walked up to the note, she began to read it.

"Dear Rainbow Dash, would you like to take a relaxing, evening stroll through the Everfree Forest? Just you and me? We could walk to the Moonlight Spring and go for a swim. Look for a big clearing in the forest. It's located north past the Ponyville Schoolhouse. Hope to see you there!" After she finished reading it, Rainbow Dash crumpled the note and threw it into the garbage can. She then hustled out the bedroom and ran to the front door. Rainbow Dash quickly opened it, flew outside, and headed towards the Everfree. Since she was in such a rush, Rainbow Dash accidently left the door slightly open. About 30 minutes later, Rainbow Dash found the clearing in the Everfree Forest. As she landed down, Rainbow Dash began to search for Blue Thunder. Suddenly, she heard a voice from behind her.

"Hey Rainbow Dash! I'm glad you came!" the voice said. As Rainbow Dash turned around, she saw Blue Thunder standing near a tree stomp.

"Blue Thunder!" Rainbow Dash replied happily, "I'm here! So...are we going to go for that walk to the springs?" Unfortunately, that wasn't what he had in mind. Blue Thunder then turned to his left and picked up some rope. As he began to walk towards her, she asked, "Um...what are you doing? What is that rope for?" Meanwhile, Flareon and Fluttershy were flying towards Cloudsdale. They had been sent by Twilight to check up on Rainbow Dash. After they made it to her house, Flareon noticed the door was slightly open.

"That's strange," Flareon said as they went inside, "Why was the door open?" As they looked around the main room, Rainbow Dash was nowhere to been seen. "Hey Rainbow Dash! You here? Hello?!" Soon after, they split up and checked the others rooms. Suddenly, he heard Fluttershy call for him. As Flareon hurried into the bedroom, he saw her holding a crumpled piece of paper. Flareon then took the crumpled paper, smoothed it out, and laid it down on the bed, near Rainbow Dash's wedding dress. They quickly began to read it. Almost immediately afterwards, Flareon turned to a panicked Fluttershy. "Go back to Twilight and tell her to call for Princess Celestia! Meanwhile, I'll go save Rainbow Dash!"

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Fluttershy replied. Flareon then began to walk past her as he smiled.

"Don't worry about me, I'm not going to let that bastard do anything bad Rainbow Dash. I'll definitely save her!" Flareon yelled as he ran out of the room, slammed open the front door open, and quickly flew into the air. He hurried to the Everfree Forest as fast as possible. Night had now fallen as a full moon could be seen in the dark sky. "Hang on Rainbow Dash...I'm coming!" Meanwhile, back in the Everfree Forest clearing, a tied-up Rainbow Dash was sitting down on the grass.

"Why...why are you doing this Blue Thunder? I love you!" she exclaimed. Unfortunately, he began to laugh at her. The harsh laughter quickly forced Rainbow Dash into tears.

"For the last time...I don't care. Haven't you figured it out yet? I never loved you!" Blue Thunder replied, "Now just shut up for a moment!" He then walked over to the tree stump and picked up a small black ball. Blue Thunder walked towards the middle of the clearing and threw the ball down onto the ground. Soon after, black smoke came out of the broken ball and rose into the air before him. Suddenly, a voice appeared from inside the smoke cloud.

"Ah...Blue Thunder! I take it your mission was a success?" the voice said.

"Yes Lord Alexei, I got the girl. So...are you going to keep up your end of the bargain or what?" Blue Thunder replied.

"Do not worry, I'm sending a small group of shadow dragons to you with your reward. Very good work Blue Thunder," Alexei said. A few seconds later, the smoke cloud disappeared. Rainbow Dash couldn't believe what she had just heard. Alexei and Blue Thunder knew each other? What mission was Alexei talking about? What was the reward he mentioned? What was going on?

"Blue Thunder...I don't understand...why?" Rainbow Dash muttered. Blue Thunder turned around and chuckled.

"Ah...what the heck...I might as well tell you seeing as your going to be Alexei's personal puppet soon anyway," Blue Thunder replied as he walked up to her, "You see Rainbow Dash...I used to be the most famous racer in the Equestria 500. Ponies everywhere said I was poised to be the greatest racer of all-time. I had fame, trophies, fans, girls...everything." Suddenly, Blue Thunder slammed his right hoof on the ground as he clenched his teeth in anger. "All that was taken away from me after my back-stabbing teammates framed me for cheating. I was permanently banned from racing in the Equestria 500. I lost everything that I worked hard to get. Later on, just as I was at the end of my rope, I met Alexei. He understood how my situation and how I felt. More importantly, Alexei knew what I wanted most...revenge. So he brought me back to his home in Death Valley and we agreed to a deal. If I could successfully capture one of Flareon's friends, then I would receive a reward that would allow me to get revenge on my ex-teammates who took everything from me! I have to admit, I had my doubts, but this was far easier than I thought it would be. To think...a stupid, lovelorn mare would end up falling in love with me. That was just icing on the cake!" Blue Thunder began to laugh maniacally as a baffled Rainbow Dash was left absolutely speechless. At that moment, the group of shadow dragons Alexei had sent appeared in the clearing. One of them was holding what seemed to be a black crown with red jewels engraved in it. Blue Thunder began to smile as he walked to the dragon. "Ah...my reward has arrived!" As Blue Thunder picked up the crown, he signaled to the dragons and then pointed to Rainbow Dash. Suddenly, he heard a voice from behind him. When Blue Thunder turned around, he saw Flareon flying in the sky towards him. As Flareon landed on the ground, Rainbow Dash's eyes began to tear up in joy.

"Flareon!" she exclaimed, "You came for me! Thank you!" Flareon quickly turned his head to see Rainbow Dash binded by the rope. He then felt a sudden spurt of fury as seeing her like that. As Flareon turned to face Blue Thunder, he yelled, "You bastard...you're going to pay for this!"

"How did you find out we were here?" Blue Thunder asked.

"Me and Fluttershy found that note you wrote!" Flareon yelled, "Right now...Twilight is probably bringing Princess Celestia to this spot! You're going to atone for your crimes and I'm going to make sure of it!" Blue Thunder let out a deep sigh and turned to the shadow dragons.

"Would you guys please get rid of this pest for me?" Blue Thunder asked. Soon after, the dragons nodded in agreement and quickly began to attack Flareon. A couple of minutes later, Flareon successfully managed to defeat some dragons with fireballs and then finished off the rest with a Fire Tornado. Flareon landed back on the ground and smiled at a Blue Thunder who was in disbelief. "Flareon," he said angrily, "Alexei told me to watch out for you. I should've figured you would end up being a thorn in my side...however, not only do I have the power to get my revenge, I also have the power to kill you!" Blue Thunder looked down to admire the crown he was holding on his right hoof. Blue Thunder then slowly lifted it up and began to put it on his head. Meanwhile, thunder clouds were beginning to appear in the night sky above them. At that moment, Flareon felt a strong sensation that something very bad was about to happen. As Blue Thunder put the crown onto his head, he suddenly began to rise into the air as black flames erupted from his body, slowly turning his blue coat dark black.

"Yes...Yes! I can feel it! The power coursing through my body!" Blue Thunder yelled. Suddenly, a bright flash appeared, and soon after, he was seen with a black coat. Blue Thunder had now become Black Thunder. He then began to admire his new, powerful body, and began to laugh. "Yes...this will do very nicely!" Black Thunder looked at a baffled Flareon and said, "Well chosen one...shall we begin?" Flareon could sense the strong, evil power coming radiating from Black Thunder's body, but he didn't have time to worry about that, Flareon had to make sure Black Thunder didn't escape. He then flew into the air parallel to him and the battle between Flareon and Black Thunder quickly began. A few minutes later, Flareon was struggling badly against Black Thunder. The problem was Black Thunder was so fast that even Flareon's rapid shooting fireballs weren't fast enough to hit him. Flareon then formed a Fire Tornado and kicked it towards Black Thunder, but he was easily able to dodge it as he quickly flew high into the sky, out of the tornado's suction. Black Thunder then flew down towards him. Flareon tried to hit him with a huge fireball, but Black Thunder suddenly disappeared. Flareon tried to find out where he went, when suddenly, Black Thunder appeared behind him. Black Thunder then charged quickly into Flareon. As he plummeted to the ground, Black Thunder smirked. As Flareon slowly got back up, Black Thunder landed before him, and pointed his right hoof towards Flareon and smiled mischievously. Flareon quickly began to look at the sparks appearing all over his body. Suddenly, a lighting bolt came down from the thunder clouds above, directly hitting the spot where Flareon was.

As he disappeared in the flash of lightning, Rainbow Dash yelled out, "No! Flareon!" Soon after, Flareon was seen lying in a small crater where the lightning bolt hit. He wasn't moving. Right away, Rainbow Dash began to cry as Black Thunder laughed manically.

"That was it? That was the best the chosen one could do?! How pathetic! This was the pony Alexei is worried about? Flareon is a complete weakling! Then again...he was going up against true power!" Black Thunder proclaimed. As a helpless Rainbow Dash looked at an unconscious Flareon, she then turned her head to Black Thunder.

"True power? Don't make me laugh!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "Your so-called power is fake! Just like you!" Right away, Black Thunder's smile turned into am angry frown. He then flew down to the ground and headed right for her.

"You need to learn to keep your mouth shut!" Black Thunder yelled as he reared back his right hoof. Rainbow Dash quickly closed her eyes in fear and prepared for the worst, but when nothing happened, she opened her eyes. What Rainbow Dash saw before her left her absolutely speechless. Flareon had appeared in front of her and managed to block Black Thunder's attack with his right hoof. Black Thunder was in complete shock.

"Don't...you...ever...attack one of my friends!" Flareon yelled as he pulled back right hoof and punched Black Thunder's face. The force of Flareon's punch was so powerful, it sent Black Thunder tumbling across the ground. As he slowly got back up, Black Thunder felt his sore muzzle.

"You're going to pay for that," he muttered. Meanwhile, Flareon turned around to face a teary-eyed Rainbow Dash and smiled.

"You ok? Don't worry about me...I'm fine," he said trying to give her some relief, "Now...how about we get you untied already?" At that moment, Rainbow Dash's eyes widen in horror.

"Flareon! Look out!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. He then quickly turned his head to the right and saw Black Thunder rearing back his right leg. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to react as Black Thunder's kick hit Flareon and sent him flying across the ground. However, he didn't have time to recover as Black Thunder appeared by him again and punched Flareon hard on the face, sending him tumbling across the ground. This time though, Flareon quickly recovered and dodged Black Thunder's next attack. Flareon then created another Fire Tornado and kicked it towards Black Thunder. Unfortunately, he once again managed to evade it. Flareon was beginning to pant deeply as Black Thunder smiled. Things were beginning to look very bad for Flareon as he had reached his limit. If Flareon didn't end this fight now, there was a high possibility he was going to die. Suddenly, Flareon was hit by an idea. Even though he was at his limit, Flareon was able to create one more fireball. It was now or never. Flareon then shot a fireball down towards Black Thunder. However, it missed him completely. Black Thunder didn't even need to budge an inch.

"Out of energy already?" Black Thunder chuckled, "That's too bad! Luckily for me...I have more to spare!" Suddenly, Flareon began to smile.

"That fireball wasn't meant for you," a fatigued Flareon replied. Before Black Thunder was able to figure out what Flareon had meant, Rainbow Dash suddenly appeared behind him.

"Gotch ya!" she yelled as Rainbow Dash put her hooves around Black Thunder's mid-section and held on firmly. It turns out the fireball Flareon had shot was actually aimed for her. Flareon's plan was to burn off the rope, freeing Rainbow Dash from her bind.

"Let go off me!" Black Thunder exclaimed as he tried to break Rainbow Dash's hold on him. Suddenly, Flareon appeared before him and put his hooves on Black Thunder's shoulders.

"This ends now!" Flareon yelled as he reared back his head and used his horn to hit the crown. The force of his horn was strong enough to break the crown into pieces. At that moment, a bright flash appeared, engulfing Flareon, Rainbow Dash, and Black Thunder. Soon after, rain started to fall from the clouds above. Flareon and Rainbow were seen standing before Blue Thunder, who had returned to normal. He was desperately trying to put together the broken pieces of the crown.

"My power! My revenge! My redemption! No!" Blue Thunder exclaimed as he quickly burst into tears. The sight of him filled Flareon and Rainbow Dash with pity. It was a pathetic sight.

"Flareon," Rainbow Dash muttered, not taking her eyes off Blue Thunder, "What's going to happen to him?"

"Well...not only is Blue Thunder going to be charged with ponynapping, he's also going to be charged with conspiring with Alexei," Flareon said as he continued to look at Blue Thunder, "He's going to be put behind bars for a long time." Rainbow Dash turned around and walked a couple of steps before stopping.

"You can go," she muttered. As Blue Thunder's eyes widen in shock, Flareon wasn't completely dumbfounded.

"Rainbow Dash!" Flareon exclaimed, "You can't be serious...you're just letting him go? After what he did to you? He messed with your emotions and sold you out to Alexei!" As Rainbow Dash slowly nodded her head, Blue Thunder quickly got back up and tried to approach her, but she held out her right hoof, stopping him abruptly.

"Just go!" Rainbow Dash yelled as tears ran down her face, "Leave now! I never want to see your face around here ever again!"

Blue Thunder smiled and simply replied, "Thank you," as he turned around and flew away. After Blue Thunder disappeared into the stormy night sky, Flareon slowly walked to a distressed Rainbow Dash.

"Are you sure about this?" Flareon asked.

As Rainbow Dash wiped the tears from her eyes, she turned to face him and replied, "Yeah...I'm sure." As Flareon put his right hoof softly on her shoulder, they began to hear the sound of approaching hooves. It was Twilight accompanied by Princess Celestia with some of her royal guards.

"Where's Blue Thunder?" Celestia asked. Flareon and Rainbow Dash looked at each other for a few seconds then turned to face her.

"I'm sorry Princess Celestia," Rainbow Dash replied, "He got away."

"I see," Celestia said, "The most important thing is that you two are ok. Flareon...you look hurt. Are you sure you don't need me to take you to the hospital in Canterlot?"

"No...I'm ok," Flareon replied. He then walked over to the broken crown pieces, picked them up, and sent them to Princess Celestia. "This crown was given to Blue Thunder by Alexei. After he put it on, Blue Thunder's body turned black, and he obtained this evil, dark power. I was barely able to keep up with him. It was like his power had been amplified, but at the same time, that power completely corrupted him. It was nothing like I've ever seen before." Princess Celestia looked closely at the floating crown pieces and then put them into her bag.

"Alexei's power is the most evil, vicious, and menacing power ever known," Celestia said, "I will begin to study this crown right away." Soon after, Princess Celestia turned around and walked away, followed by her guards. Twilight quickly approached Flareon and Rainbow Dash.

"What happened here?" she asked. Flareon walked over to her and smiled.

"I'll tell you when we get back home," he replied. Flareon and Twilight turned around to look at Rainbow Dash, who was staring at the spot in the sky where Blue Thunder had flown to, while raindrops fell onto her face.

"Rainbow Dash...are you sure your ok?" Twilight asked. As Rainbow Dash turned around, she put on the best fake smile she could.

"Of course I am! I'm the super awesome Rainbow Dash after all!" she proclaimed. A few seconds later, Rainbow Dash flew high into the sky and headed towards Cloudsdale. After they watched her disappear, Flareon and Twilight began to leave the Everfree Forest and walk back home. Even though Flareon wanted to help Rainbow Dash more, he knew that time was the only remedy for a broken heart. 


	13. Game On

Chapter 13  
Game On

It will a peaceful, quiet afternoon in Ponyville. Not a single cloud was in the sky as the warm sunlight shined from above. At Golden Oak Library, Twilight was feeding Solana in her high chair, while Flareon and Spike were playing checkers. Suddenly, the front door flew open as a panicked Rainbow Dash came flying inside.

"Flareon! Twilight!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "Discord...is...is...in Ponyville!" Soon after, Flareon and Twilight hurried outside as Rainbow Dash rushed to get the others. Later on, they found Discord in the park. He was floating in the air while drinking a cup of tea.

"Hold it right there!" Flareon yelled as they confronted Discord, "Alright...what are you planning? Going to send another train to kill us?!" After Discord finished drinking his tea, the cup is his hand disappeared and he landed on the ground before them.

"I'm here because I have left Alexei, " he replied as a violin appeared by him playing a sad tune, "I've decided to give up my mischievous and chaotic ways and become good." Discord fell to he knees and began to beg with puppy dog eyes. "Can you find it in your hearts to forgive this kind and gentle dragon...please?" Flareon, Twilight, and their friends looked at each other perplexed. Was Discord really telling the truth?

"I don't know," Rainbow Dash said, "Can we really trust this guy?"

"I think we should give him a chance," Fluttershy replied, "He did after all say please."

"Ok...fine. We'll give Discord a fair chance," Flareon muttered. Discord quickly stood up in joy and began to dance.

"Thank you everyone!" he happily said, "I promise you won't regret this! How about we play a game to celebrate our newfound friendship?!"

"I love games!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, "What kind of game are we going to play?!" Suddenly, a mischievous smirked spread across Discord's face.

"How about this one?" Discord replied as he snapped his fingers. At that moment, the ground before them began to glow, and a portal appeared. Soon after, they were sucked into the portal and disappeared. As Discord laughed manically, he jumped into the portal after them. A few seconds later, the portal slowly closed and vanished. Not a single trace of Flareon, Twilight, their friends, or Discord was left behind. Later on, they began to wake up in what appeared to be a dungeon.

"Everyone ok?" Flareon asked as he rubbed his forehead.

"I'm ok," Twilight replied, "More importantly...where are we?" At that moment, words suddenly appeared in the air before them.

"Discord's Delightful Dungeon?" Rainbow Dash read, "What the heck does that mean? Wait...where did Discord go?" It didn't take long before they realized what just happened. They had been tricked by Discord and fell into his trap. "I told you guys we couldn't trust that lying weasel!" Suddenly, a voice appeared behind them.

"Lying weasel? I'm absolutely appalled! I thought we were friends?" the voice replied. When they turned around, they saw Discord standing before them.

"Alright Discord! What did you do? Where are we?" Applejack exclaimed.

"I'm proud to present Discord's Delightful Dungeon! It's an RPG-style game I made where you guys will battle monsters, solve puzzles, and endure traps. All while exploring this dungeon like characters in an RPG video game! Now...doesn't that sound fun?!" Discord said.

"Forget it Discord!" Flareon yelled, "We aren't playing your stupid game!"

"You don't have a choice. Unless you play and beat this little game I set up, you will be stuck here forever!" Discord replied as he laughed mischievously. At that moment, Rainbow Dash lunged at Discord, but amazingly, she went right through him. It turns out the real Discord wasn't here, the one before them was just a hologram. He then began to wave his finger at a baffled Rainbow Dash. "So sorry, but you don't get to face the final boss until to make it to the last level! Now then everyone...pick your character class. After you do, that door over there will open up and the game will begin! Also...please do me a favor and don't die before you make it to me...ok? I want to have the honor of killing you all myself!" As Discord laughed manically, his hologram slowly disappeared. Soon after, words began to appear in the air again that read 'Attention players! Please choose your character class from the following: Warrior, Archer, Mage, or Healer. Flareon and Rainbow Dash chose Warrior, Twilight and Rarity picked Mage, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie decided on Healer, and Applejack chose Archer. The Warriors got swords and armor, the Mages got robes and staffs, the Healers got nurse outfits and med-kits, and the Archer got a body suit made of leaves and a bow with arrows. Everyone also got a leather bag to put their items in. After they have made their final choices, the door before them opened.

"Ok everyone," Flareon said, "Let's get to the last level, kick Discord's butt, and return home." After everyone nodded their heads in agreement, they began to walk towards through the door, which slowly closed behind them. No matter what, they had to beat this game. There's no telling what could happen to Ponyville if they didn't return soon. They continued to walk down this dark corridor as the flames from the torches on the walls lit the way. "I don't mean to brag but, I'm an expert at RPG games. In Dungeon Explorers Ultimate 4, I reached level 189 and racked up 300 hours total play time. I also beat the game on the hardest difficulty." Sadly for Flareon, no one was paying attention to him, however, they did listen when he told them their battle strategy. It was to protect Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. They are the most important members of the team since they have helpful healing abilities. Flareon and Rainbow Dash would be in close combat with their swords, while Twilight and Rarity would attack with magic from mid-range, and Applejack would shoot her arrows from long-range. It was their job to protect the Healers. Their game plan was quickly put to the test when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by monsters. The monsters ranged from wolves, goblins, and gargoyles. They soon got to work fighting the monsters. A couple of minutes later, Rainbow Dash's body began to glow. "Rainbow Dash! You can use you special ability now!" Flareon yelled.

Rainbow Dash then charged at the monsters as she reared back her sword while yelling, "Super Rainbow Slash!" She easily cut through all the monsters as a rainbow trailed behind her. After the defeated monsters vanished, she exclaimed, "Oh yeah! Did you see that? My special move is totally awesome!" Soon after, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie restored everyone's health. They quickly continued through the dungeon. Eventually, they found themselves in front of a large door and went through it. After the door closed behind them, the torches on the walls lit brighter, and they found themselves in a room filled with white tiles on the floor. Suddenly, the tile before them turned purple and the one after it did the same as a trail of purple tiles made a trail all the way to the other side of the room. A few seconds later, the titles turned white again. It seemed that this was a memory puzzle. Unfortunately, the purple tile trail didn't last long enough for Flareon to remember all of it. Rainbow Dash tried to fly across the room, but she was stopped by an invisible force field. It seemed Discord wasn't going to let them cross that easily. Twilight then stepped forward and smiled.

"Don't worry everyone! I got this!" Twilight said as she stepped on the first tile. After it turned purple signaling it was correct, she continued across the room, hopping on tile after title. Eventually, Twilight made it all the way to the other side. After she stepped on the last tile, all the tiles suddenly turned green as a bing sound echoed throughout the dungeon room signaling they had successfully solved the puzzle. Everyone quickly rushed over to congratulate Twilight. As they turned to face the door, words suddenly appeared on it saying 'Level 1 complete'. Even though they had made it past the first level, they knew it wasn't over yet. The next level was most likely going to be harder. The door then opened revealing a stair case. Everyone quickly ran up the stairs as the door slowly closed behind them. Level after level they battled monsters, solved puzzles, and had to deal with traps. One trap was that dealt with involved Flareon and Twilight getting affected by a confuse spell. They thought thief friends were monsters and attacked them. Eventually, Rarity was able to preform a spell to heal their ailments. Unfortunately, the damage everyone sustained required Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy to use some healing potions to restore their health. Not only were they running out to healing potions, they were running out of energy potions to restore their depleted spell bars. They had to hurry and make it to the final level. As they were walking though a corridor on level 5, Fluttershy accidently stepped on a trap. The floor before her opened up and she fell through it. Unfortunately, they were unable to save her. As the floor panel closed back up, Rainbow Dash was desperately trying to use the end of her sword to bust through it.

"Rainbow Dash stop! It's too late," Flareon said.

"We have to do something!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "She's all alone by herself now! What if something happens to her?!"

"Don't worry...I'm sure she'll be fine," Flareon lied, "We just have to hope we end up meeting her somewhere along the way." As a reluctant Rainbow Dash followed after them, Flareon was beginning to worry. Not only was Fluttershy their healer, if her life bar went completely red, she would die. Flareon shook his head as he tried to get rid of that thought. Meanwhile, Fluttershy was slowly walking through a hallway.

"I hope I find the others soon," she muttered. Soon after, Fluttershy a treasure chest on the left side of the wall. After she opened it up, Fluttershy said, "Oh...what's this? An item? I've never seen one like this before." She picked it up and put it in her bag. "I have to hurry...the others are counting on me. I can't let them down!" As Fluttershy ran through the hallway, she suddenly found herself in front of a stair case. "Ok...here I go!" Fluttershy exclaimed as she quickly began climbed the stairs. Back at Flareon's group, they were standing at a door that read 'Beware! Final Boss Ahead!' This was it, all they had to do was defeat Discord, and they could all return home. Unfortunately, they were still missing a key member of their party.

"What are we going to do?" Applejack said, "We only have one Healer. Can we beat Discord without Fluttershy?"

"We have no choice," Flareon replied, "Either we face Discord without Fluttershy or we go back and look for her, but if we do that, then we would be in danger of using up the last of our items. It is never a good idea to face the final boss with no items." After everyone agreed to face Discord, they opened the door, and went inside. After the door closed behind them, the torches on the way become brighter, and they found themselves in a huge, circular room. The floor was made of red carpet and on the walls were gold framed paintings...all featuring Discord. Suddenly, they heard clapping. When everyone looked ahead, they saw Discord walking up to them.

"Congratulations!" he exclaimed, "You managed to make it to the final level! I have to admit, I was worried there for a minute you wouldn't make it here after your dear friend Fluttershy disappeared. Such a shame she isn't here to watch you all die!"

"Shut up Discord!" a furious Rainbow Dash yelled, "After we beat you, we're going to look for her!" Discord quickly began to laugh at her.

"You...beat me?" he replied, "I would love to see you try!" At that moment, Discord began to grow bigger and bigger until his head nearly reached the top of the ceiling. "Now then...shall we begin?"

"Ok everyone! This is it!" Flareon yelled as everyone got into their positions, "Let's win this battle for Fluttershy!" Soon after, the battle against Mega Discord began. Right off the bat, everyone attacked Discord at the same time, but even with six combined attacks, it didn't seem to faze him much. Discord simply laughed at their weak attempt and slammed down his right hand on them. Everyone managed to evade just in time as a giant crater was left in the spot where Discord's fist hand landed. A couple of minutes later, Discord was beginning to figure out their battle strategy. He then shot a huge fireball towards Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie Pie! Look out!" Flareon yelled as he flew towards her. As he pushed her out of the fireball's path, it hit him directly on his side. The force of the fireball was so powerful, it sent Flareon crashing into the wall.

"Flareon!" Twilight exclaimed as he fell onto the floor. She then turned to Pinkie Pie. "Quick...heal him!" As Pinkie Pie desperately ran over to an injured Flareon, Rainbow Dash angrily flew towards Discord.

"Super Rainbow Slash!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she reared back her sword. Unfortunately, Discord easily anticipated Rainbow Dash' attack as he turned and used his left claw to swat her away. As Rainbow Dash was sent flying into a wall, Flareon told Pinkie Pie to go help her. Things were beginning to look very bad. Not only did their normal attacks not work, not even their special abilities had any affect on Discord. They had to do something before all their health bars turned completely red.

"Oh no!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she finish healing Rainbow Dash, "I'm out of health potions!" At that moment, Discord began to smile and laughed manically.

"What's that? No more health potions? Well then...I suppose this is the prefect opportunity to show you my special ability!" Discord yelled. Suddenly, he reached out with his right claw. "Chaotic Thunderbolt Storm!" As everyone looked up, they saw thunder clouds appearing above them. Soon after, they were hit by a barrage of thunderbolts that rained down from the clouds. A few seconds later, they were all seen lying on the floor. Their health bars barely had an inch of green left. Was this the end? "Oh dear...was that attack to powerful?" Discord chucked, "I'm so amazing I scare myself! Time to end this once and for all! Flareon...tell your dear pal Nova for me that I was the one who killed you!" As he prepared to finish them off, a hole in the ceiling suddenly appeared, and Fluttershy came falling out of it. After she landed on the ground, Fluttershy looked around to see her friend's depleted health bars, and the giant Discord.

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash muttered, "You're ok!"

"Oh no!" Fluttershy yelled, "You're all injured!"

"Ah...Fluttershy. I'm glad to see you finally made it. Once I finish off your friends, I'm going to kill you!," Discord replied as he smiled and laughed. At that moment, Fluttershy took the item she had recently found out of her bag.

"This is the only item I have left. I hope this helps," Fluttershy said. Suddenly, Discord's eyes widen in shock.

"No...that's impossible," he exclaimed, "How...how did you find that?" It turns out Fluttershy had found an ultra-rare item called the Super Full Restore. It was an item that fully healed an entire party's health and spell bars. After Fluttershy activated the item, everyone's health and spell bars quickly went from red to green.

"Thanks Fluttershy!" Flareon said. He then turned to a baffled Discord, "I think it's about time we showed you how powerful a special attack can really be from seven ponies combined! Soon after, everyone began to glow as they gathered power.

"Fusion attack...Ultimate Holy Light Pillar!" everyone yelled as the ground below Discord erupted as white light shot up towards the ceiling, completely engulfing him. As Discord screamed in pain, the room started to become distorted, and soon after, a bright flash appeared. Later on, Flareon and the others awoke to find themselves back at the park in Ponyville. Discord was nowhere to be found.

"We...we did it!" Twilight exclaimed, "Wait...where did Discord go?"

"Who cares?" Rainbow Dash replied, "He probably ran back to Alexei with his tail between his legs after the whooping we gave him!"

"I have to admit...even though it was a trap set by Discord, I actually had fun back there. Except for the almost dying part," Applejack said. As everyone began to laugh, they soon decided to continue their activities before they had confronted Discord. After everyone went their separate ways, Flareon and Twilight headed back home to Golden Oak Library. They sure had an interesting story to tell Spike when they returned.


	14. Datenapped

Chapter 14  
Datenapped

Grim, also known as the Grim Reaper, is a shadow dragon created by Alexei that can regenerate parts of his body at will. He was also Alexei's battle strategist during the Dark Ages. In terms of rank, Grim is the number two ranked general in Alexei's army, ahead of Maximus, but below Draco. In addition to his high IQ, Grim is ambitious, greedy, confident, relentless, and insensitive. Grim has always believed he deserved to be ranked above Draco, but no matter how hard he tried, Draco was always Alexei's favorite. Even though Grim absolutely loathed Draco with a strong passion, he hated the Elemental Warriors even more, and tried his best to cause as much pain and suffering to them as possible. The battle between Flareon and Grim would soon draw near. During another afternoon in Death Valley, Alexei was admiring the landscape outside the cavern. He suddenly flexed his right claw and smiled. "It looks like I can now bring back Grim." Discord, who was reading a book, quickly put it down and walked over to him.

"Lord Alexei...you're going to resurrect Grim?" Discord asked.

"I always like Grim. He was a brilliant battle strategist. I don't know what I would have done if I never created him," Alexei replied as he chuckled. Alexei then held out his right claw as he began to gather power into it. Soon after, he shot the energy into the ground before him, and a few seconds later, it dispersed and a skeleton dragon was seen standing before them. When Grim saw Alexei, he kneeled down.

"Lord Alexei...it is good to see you again," Grim said as he kept his head down, "Sir...may I ask what happened? The last thing I remember was heading back here after destroying Fort Dreamwood...that was it. Alexei then walked over to him and put his right claw on his shoulder as Grim began to stand back up.

"After I was sealed by the Elemental Warriors, all the dragons I had created, including you, disappeared. It has been 10,000 years since then, but do not worry Grim, our goal has not changed. We will take over Equestria!" As Alexei laughed, Grim looked around the room and spotted Discord, but noticed someone else was not here.

"My lord...where is Maximus?" Grim asked.

"Maximus was recently killed by the chosen one Flareon, who is the descendant of Nova," Alexi replied, "Maximus overestimated Flareon and that in return was his downfall."

"No disrespect Lord Alexei, but Maximus was always an immature, foolish little kid. I'm not surprised he was finally killed, by Nova's descendant no doubt," Grim said as a smirk appeared on his face. Alexei then held out his right claw again, gathered power, and shot the energy at the ground. Soon after, five shadow dragons appeared before them. He slowly turned to face Grim.

"I want you to take these dragons with you and go after Flareon. He lives in Ponyville," Alexei said.

"You want me to kill him my lord?" Grim asked.

"I have something else in mind," Alexei replied. He then began to laugh mischievously as Grim and Discord began to laugh along with him. Meanwhile, in Ponyville, Flareon and Twilight were walking through town.

"Twilight," Flareon said, "How about I take you out to dinner tonight? It'll be just you and me. How about we agree on 8pm at the park?"

"That sounds lovely," Twilight replied.

"Really?! Ok...but, can you go to one of our friend's house for a while? I...uh...have to set everything up first. Once I'm done, I'll have Spike come get you," Flareon said. After Twilight told him she was going to Fluttershy's house, Flareon quickly flew home to begin preparing for their dinner date tonight. Later on, Spike came to get Twilight as planned and brought her to the park where Flareon was eagerly waiting. As Spike headed back home, Flareon quickly ran up to Twilight, and walked her up to the candlelit table he had set up. He then moved Twilight's chair back so she could sit in it. After Flareon pushed her chair in, he ran to his chair and sat down. Twilight was absolutely amazed. On the table before her was every type of her favorites foods.

"Flareon," a baffled Twilight said, "Did you make all this?!" Right away, he began to blush embarrassed.

"Yeah...but, I'm not that great of a cook. Most of this stuff took me about five times to get it perfect enough for you," Flareon replied.

Twilight began to smile and said, "I think you did a fantastic job! By the way...isn't this all a little too extravagant for just a normal dinner date?"

"Well...you know...I wanted to do something for our one year wedding anniversary," Flareon replied as he smiled. Immediately, Twilight's eyes began to tear up as she gasped happily.

"You remembered!" Twilight exclaimed as tears ran down her face. He then grabbed her left hoof with his right hoof.

"Of course I remembered!" Flareon replied as he tried to hold back his own tears, "How could I forgot the day when I got married to the most beautiful, caring, and amazing girl I have ever meet in my life?" Twilight couldn't help but blush as she wiped away her tears of joy. Soon after, they began to eat the food Flareon had made. Thirty minutes later, they had finally finished eating.

After Twilight used a napkin to wiper her mouth, she looked and him and said, "It was amazing Flareon, thank you."

Flareon smiled and replied, "Anything for you Twilight." Soon after, they moved towards each other and attempted to kiss. Unfortunately, the kiss never happened as something big and black fell from the sky right onto the table. The force of the impact from the object was so strong it smashed the table into pieces and sent Flareon and Twilight flying backwards. As the black object stood up, it was none other than Grim himself.

"I'm so sorry," Grim laughed, "Did I interrupt something important?" He then turned to the group of shadow dragons on his right and pointed to Twilight. "Grab her!" Meanwhile, a dazed Flareon was trying to recover from the blast when he heard Twilight's voice. He turned his head to see shadow dragons trying to restrain her.

"Let...go...of...me!" Twilight exclaimed. Flareon quickly got up and began to run over to her aid, however, Grim suddenly appeared behind him.

"I hope you don't mind us taking your precious little wife chosen one!" Grim yelled. Unfortunately, Flareon was only able to turn his head slightly to see part of his face as Grim quickly hit Flareon on the back of his head, knocking him out cold. Later on, Flareon began to hear voices desperately call his name. When he opened his eyes, Flareon saw Spike and his friends with worried looks on their faces. As he got up, Flareon looked around and noticed he was back home.

"Flareon!" Applejack exclaimed, "What in tarnation happened?! Spike here went to check up on you guys and found everything destroyed and you unconscious on the ground. He then got all of us together and we brought you back here. Please...tell us what happened to Twilight!" Soon after, Flareon began to remember what happened. He told everyone about how his black, skeleton-like dragon crashed their dinner date, ponynapped Twilight, and knocked him out. Suddenly, Flareon began to feel a deep sense of worthlessness.

"It's my fault...it's all my fault," Flareon muttered, "I swore I would protect Twilight and let nothing bad happen to her." Fluttershy walked over to him and put her right hoof softly on his shoulder.

"Don't blame yourself Flareon," Fluttershy replied, "You tried your best."

"We don't have time for a pity party!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "We have to save Twilight!"

"How do you expect we do that? We don't even know where that dragon took her!" Applejack yelled. As everyone looked down at the ground disappointed they couldn't do anything for more for Twilight, a rock suddenly flew through the window and landed near them. Rainbow Dash quickly opened the front door and flew outside in anger. Meanwhile, Flareon noticed that there was something tied on the rock. It seemed to be a piece of paper. As he took the paper off the rock, Rainbow Dash came back inside.

"I didn't see anyone outside," Rainbow Dash said as she closed the door, "Whoever threw that rock is long gone."

"Hey look everyone!" Flareon exclaimed, "There was a note tied to the rock!" As he smoothed-out the paper, Flareon began to read the note aloud. "Dear Chosen One, I have ponynapped your wife Twilight and are holding her hostage. However, I'm willing to offer you a deal. Bring me the Elements of Harmony and I will release Twilight. You have till midnight. I'll be waiting in Desire Cave. It's located in Everfree Forest, under the waterfall at Moonlight Spring. -Grim." After he finished reading the note, he quickly felt a surge of fury, however, Flareon wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"That bastard!" Rainbow Dash yelled, "He's not getting away with this!"

"What should we do?" Rarity asked, "Princess Celestia entrusted us with the Elements of Harmony. We can't just hand them over to Grim!"

"This may be risky, but I think I have an idea," Flareon replied as the looked at the case near the wall that containing the Elements of Harmony. Meanwhile, in Desire Cave, Twilight was attempting to use her magic to break out of a hanging cage she was locked in. For some reason, Twilight wasn't able to gather any magic. Grim, who was resting on a rock structure, began to smile.

"I wouldn't bother if I were you," a smug Grim said, "That's an anti-magic cage that prohibits you from using any types of magic. The only way you're getting out is if I let you out."

"You're not going to get away with this," Twilight replied, "Flareon is going to come save me!" Grim quickly began to laugh at her.

"That's just what I'm expecting!" Grim said as he smiled. Later on, back at Golden Oak Library, Rarity had finished tying a silver case on Flareon's back.

"That should about do it," Rarity said as she backed away, "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Don't worry," Flareon said as he looked at his concerned friends, "My plan is to rescue Twilight and get her to safety. Once I do, I'm going to make Grim pay." Soon after, he walked outside with the case strapped on his back, and flew into the air. "Hold on Twilight!" Flareon yelled as he flew towards the Everfree Forest, "I'm coming!" A couple of minutes later, as he made it to the Everfree Forest, some shadow dragons appeared out of nowhere from the trees and knocked him out of the air. As Flareon got back up, he found himself surround by five shadow dragons. "Get out of my way!" Flareon yelled as he began to fight the dragons. Later on, Grim was using a toothpick to pick his teeth when he suddenly heard a voice. It was Flareon.

"Flareon!" Twilight exclaimed, "You came!"

"I have the Elements of Harmony," Flareon said as he took the case off his back.

"Very good," Grim said as he stood up, "Give them to me and your wife goes free."

"Here! Catch!" Flareon yelled as he threw the case at Grim. Suddenly, the case flung open and a bright flash emitted from it. It turns out Flareon didn't bring the Elements of Harmony and instead put a flash bang inside the case. As Flareon quickly headed for Twilight's cage, Grim appeared before him, smiling.

"You actually thought I didn't see this coming?!" Grim said as he reared back his right hand and punched Flareon in the face, sending him flying into the ground. As Flareon got back up, Grim landed before him. "I knew you would try something like this. Your plan was to rescue Twilight, bring her to safety, and then come back here because you didn't want her in harm's way." He began to laugh manically. "You're so predictable!"

"Let her go!" Flareon yelled as he got into a fighting stance.

"Not gonna happen kid," Grim said as he also got into a fighting stance, "I'm going to enjoy breaking every bone in your body as that girl watches in that cage...helpless, scared, and worried!" As Flareon flew into the air, he charged and shot a huge fireball towards Grim, and the battle between Flareon and the Grim Reaper began. Unfortunately, Flareon was letting his anger get the best off his as he shot fireballs at Grim without thinking. Grim most of the time didn't need to dodge as the fireballs went soaring past him. "What's the matter chosen one?" Grim laughed, "Are you letting your anger get the best of you?" Flareon then cloaked himself in fire and charged at him, but Grim simply moved out of the way. As Flareon turned around, Grim smiled and said, "You're just like Maximus. Young, immature, hot-headed, and overall just plain easy to read. You're not even worth a challenge!"

"Try this on for size!" Flareon yelled as he cloaked himself in fire once again, and after he created a Fire Tornado, kicked it towards Grim as hard as he could. Suddenly, a smirk appeared on Grim's face as he simply stood where he was and let the Fire Tornado hit him. "How do you like that?!" Flareon exclaimed. After the Fire Tornado disappeared, Grim was still seen standing, but he was missing his chest, left arm, and part of his right arm and shoulder. The Fire Tornado wasn't strong enough to kill Grim as it did Maximus.

"That was the best you could do?" Grim asked as he smiled, "Such a shame." At that moment, the parts of his body that had been destroyed slowly began to grow back. A few seconds alter, Grim was seen standing as if nothing had happened to him. He had recovered from all the damage he had received. As Grim looked at a dumbfounded Flareon, he began to laugh. "How do you like my special ability chosen one? Thanks to Lord Alexei, I can regenerate parts of my body at will, hence why I'm nicknamed the Grim Reaper! I can't die!" He then began to smile mischievously. "I think I've wasted enough time on you." Grim suddenly teleported and reappeared right in front of Flareon, and punched him in the face, sending Flareon tumbling backwards through the air. Grim then teleported again, this time behind Flareon, and yelled, "Shadow Boxing: 8-hit combo!" Grim quickly began to punch Flareon like a fighter hitting a punching bag. Every time Grim would punch Flareon, he would teleport and reappear in the direction he hit Flareon at. After seven hits, Grim let Flareon fall to the ground, but before he touched the ground, Grim slammed down his right foot, which sent Flareon flying high into the high. As Flareon began to fall back down, Grim reared back his right arm and clenched his fist. "Uppercut Finisher!" Grim yelled as he punched Flareon hard in his chest. The force of the punch was so powerful it sent a shockwave traveling through Flareon's body, all the way to the ceiling of the cave. As Grim lowered down his arm, he looked at a limp Flareon and laughed. Grim then threw him towards the ground. Flareon quickly tumbled helplessly across the ground until he finally stopped. Flareon wasn't getting back up. It was too much for Twilight as she began to cry.

"Flareon!" Twilight exclaimed, "Please get back up!" At that moment, Grim began to laugh manically.

"This was the best the fabled chosen one could do? How pathetic! It's hard to believe you were the one who killed Maximus," Grim said. He then turned Twilight who was in complete shock. "Once I bring you and Flareon back with me to Death Valley, Alexei will finally acknowledge me as the brilliant tactician I am! I'll finally be rewarded for all the hard work I've done for him. For the first time ever...I'll be ranked higher than Draco!" Suddenly, Grim heard a weak voice speak. When he turned his head, Grim saw Flareon beginning to stand back up.

"I'll say this one...last...time," Flareon said as he struggled to stand on his own hooves, "Let...Twilight...go!" Unfortunately, Grim began to laugh again.

"What are you doing to do if I say no again?" a smug Grim asked. As Flareon finally managed to stand back up, he closed his eyes and began to charge up his fire magic. "Just give up Flareon! You aren't strong enough to kill me! It's over!" Flareon then flashbacked to when he was resting in the park one day. He was watching two kids playing with a Frisbee. As it traveled back and forth in the air between them, Flareon started to get an idea for a new technique. He knew that the Fire Tornado wouldn't be strong enough to defeat Alexei. Flareon had to develop stronger, more powerful techniques. Flareon opened his eyes again and created a fireball on his horn. Flareon then began to spin the fireball in a circle at high-speed until it grew six blades. The fireball soon took on the appearance of a giant shuriken as quickly began to emit a loud screech-like noise. The smile on Grim's face suddenly vanished as he stepped back a few steps. "No! That's impossible!" Grim exclaimed, "That power...it's...it's...how have you been able to hide this me from me?! Soon after, Flareon dug his hooves in the ground and smiled.

"Go! Fire Shuriken!" Flareon yelled as he sent the giant shuriken flying towards Grim, who tried to dodge it, but Grim was surprised when the Fire Shuriken expanded to hit him on his side. As the shuriken exploded, Grim began to scream in pain as he was quickly engulfed in the blast radius. Grim's body began to slowly deteriorate as he disappeared inside the blazing inferno. The blast radius from the Fire Shuriken didn't stop there as it continued to grow bigger and bigger. Unfortunately, it was heading right for Twilight's cage. Twilight began to scream and she shielded her face with her hooves. Soon after, a loud explosion erupted from inside Desire Cave and two figures were seen escaping. As the two figures flew into the sky, it was none other than Flareon and Twilight. Flareon was flying through the air as he was holding Twilight in his hooves. When Twilight opened her eyes, she saw Flareon's face. He then looked at her and smiled.

"Don't worry Twilight, we'll be home soon. So just relax ok?" Flareon said. Twilight smiled as she put her hooves around him and held on tight. A tear of happiness could be seen running down her face.

"Thank you," Twilight whispered as she quickly fell asleep in Flareon's hooves. As they headed back home, the stars in the night sky sparkled brightly as the full moon shined down from above. 


	15. Sonic Supernova Rainbow Cannon

Chapter 15  
Sonic Supernova Rainbow Cannon

Even though it seemed like yesterday, it has now been nearly an entire year, and Solana was about to turn 1 year old. Flareon and Twilight decided to bring their friends to the park to discuss on where the birthday party should take place tomorrow. After agreeing to Applejack's suggestion that the party should take place at Apple Acres, Twilight suddenly thought of a neat idea.

"How about during the birthday party, we have Flareon and Rainbow Dash preform their signature moves? The Supernova Cannon and the Sonic Rainboom?" Twilight asked as she was holding Solana in her lap. Everyone quickly agreed to the idea, however, it wouldn't be that easy. "Ok...so how about Flareon goes first and Rainbow Dash goes second?" Unfortunately, Twilight didn't know what she had just started.

"Me...second?" a baffled Rainbow Dash replied, No way! I'm going first! Flareon can go after me!"

"Sorry Rainbow Dash, but Twilight said I'm going first," Flareon said, "Besides...my Supernova Cannon is a starter move, yours is a more of a finisher."

"Need I remind you who won the Best Young Flyer competition? My Sonic Rainboom is a proven winner! Also...it's a lot cooler than your Supernova Cannon!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Flareon burst out laughing.

"Please...your Sonic Rainboom is just a boom followed by a rainbow, boring! My Supernova Cannon is sun that explodes and show an area with snowflake stars! Your Sonic Rainboom can't even compare to that!" he yelled. Soon after, Flareon and Rainbow Dash started to argue back and forth as to who should go first. It didn't take long before their yelling match forced Twilight and the other to leave. A couple of minutes later, Flareon decided their was only one way to solve this dilemma.

"Ok...how about this?" Flareon asked, "Why don't we let the residents of Ponyville decide? Whoever gets the most votes for their signature move wins!"

"You're on!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she shared a brohoof with Flareon in agreement to his suggestion. Soon after, they flew into the air and headed for the town square. Who is going to win in the battle of the signature moves? Flareon's Supernova Cannon or Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom? This was defiantly a battle for the ages! Later on, in the town square, Flareon and Rainbow Dash managed to get 100 ponies and told them what they were doing. Soon after, Flareon preformed his Supernova Cannon and Rainbow Dash preformed her Sonic Rainboom. Both moves got high appraise from the crowd. Flareon and Rainbow Dash then flew in front of the crowd and decided to start counting votes. Unfortunately, fifty ponies raised their hooves for the Supernova Cannon and fifty ponies raised their hooves for the Sonic Rainboom. By unbelievable odds, it was a 50/50 split. Flareon and Rainboom decided to preform their moves again and have a recount, but it was the same result, a 50/50 split. They tried one more time, but the result didn't budge an inch, it was another 50/50 split. Soon after, Rainbow Dash decided this wasn't working.

"How about this time we settle this in a race around Equestria?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Oh no!" Flareon exclaimed, "We aren't doing that again. Especially after what happened last time."

"I told you I was sorry remember? Besides...what are we going to do then?" Rainbow Dash replied. Suddenly, Flareon got an idea, and after getting Rainboom Dash to agree to it, they quickly flew over to Apple Acres. Later on, at a picnic table, Applejack was staring at them confused. It turns out Flareon and Rainbow Dash had agreed to a pie eating contest. Whoever won would preform their signature move first during Solana's birthday party.

"Are you sure you two want to do this?" she asked. As Flareon and Rainbow Dash nodded their heads, Applejack turned to Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom. "You heard 'em...bring out the pies!" A couple of minutes later, Big Macintosh brought out a wagon with a boatload of apple pies on it. After Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh put the pies on the table, Applejack raised up her right hoof. "Ready...set...go!" Applejack yelled as she swing her hoof down signaling the start of the competition. As quickly as they could, Flareon and Rainbow Dash began to furiously gulf down every pie they could get their hooves on. Ten minutes later, they had managed to eat all the pies. Flareon leaned back in his chair and let out a loud burp.

"Ok...so how many pies did we eat Applejack?" Flareon asked as she rubbed his full belly.

"Let's see...Flareon, you ate 20 pies, and Rainbow Dash ate 20 pies. It's a tie!" Applejack exclaimed. Immediately, Flareon and Rainbow Dash's jaws dropped. Even though the odds were nearly impossible, there was no way around it, it was another tie.

Flareon turned to a dumbfounded Rainbow Dash and asked, "Got any more suggestions?" Suddenly, she began to smile.

"There's only one way to finish this once and for all," Rainbow Dash replied, "An arm wrestling competition!" Almost immediately, they flew over to a nearby stump and sat down opposite of each other. Rainbow Dash slammed her right hoof down on the stump and smiled. "Whoever wins does their signature move first during the birthday party!" Flareon then put his right hoof down and grabbed onto her hoof and smiled too.

"Bring it on!" Flareon exclaimed. A few seconds later, the arm wresting battle began. Unfortunately for Rainbow Dash, Flareon beat her.

"Sorry Rainbow Dash," Flareon said as he smiled, "Looks like I win!" However, Rainbow Dash wasn't able to give up.

"Best two out of three!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she put her hoof down on the stump again. Soon after, Flareon decided to a rematch, but this time, Rainbow Dash won, but since it was a 1/1 tie, they did it again. Later on, they had about seven more rematches, but in the end, they ended up in a 5/5 tie. Flareon and Rainbow Dash were starting to lose their composure as they desperately tried other ways to settle their dispute. They tried going to the amusement park and decided whoever could ride the Screaming Eagle the longest won, but neither of them could ride it more than five times, which forced them into a tie. Flareon and Rainbow Dash then headed for the bowling alley and whoever got the highest score won, but it three straight games, they all resulted in the same, exact score. Flareon and Rainbow Dash quickly flew to Sugar Cube Corner and decided whoever could survive Pinkie Pie's horrible singing the longest would win, but it didn't take long before they realized that was a very bad idea as neither of them could last more than three minutes. In the end, no matter what they did, everything ended in a tie. Later on, at Golden Oak Library, Applejack was seen coming inside. Twilight was reading a book on the floor as Spike was playing with Solana.

"Are those two still at it?" Applejack asked.

Twilight let out an exhausting sigh and replied, "Yep." They turned their heads to see Flareon and Rainbow Dash sitting on the couch across from one another. They were constantly bickering to each other like two, very prideful, stubborn kids. Twilight shook her head in disappointment.

"If only there was a way for them to preform their signature moves at the same time," Applejack suggested. Suddenly, a light bulb appeared above Flareon's head after hearing what Applejack just said.

"Wait a moment...that's it!" Flareon said as he got off the coach and hustled over to a nearby table. He quickly got a piece of paper and a quill. He then signaled for Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Applejack to come over. "Ok...if we do this...and that...then this should...work!" Flareon exclaimed as he finished drawing up a plan. He then turned to a baffled Rainbow Dash. "I know this may sound crazy, just go with me ok, but I think it may be possible we could preform the Supernova Cannon and the Sonic Rainboom at the same time. In theory, this would create a new combined signature move." After Rainbow Dash looked closer at Flareon's drawing, she began to smile.

"I've got to hand it to you Flareon," Rainbow Dash said as she patted him on the back, "Your plan is simply perfect! I'm in! Let's combine our techniques to create one super, cool, awesome signature move!" As they shared a brohoof in agreement to Flareon's plan, Twilight and Applejack let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness you two finally resolved your dispute," Twilight replied as they looked over to Solana, "Now all that's left is to prepare for the birthday party tomorrow. Let's see...Pinkie Pie is setting up the party, Mr. and Mrs. Cake are making the cake and ice cream, Rarity is designing the arrangements, Fluttershy is sending the invites to everyone, and Flareon and Rainbow Dash are going to preform their new technique. This is going to be the best birthday party ever!" As everyone raised up their hooves and cheered, Solana began to smile happily. There was no doubt that the first birthday party for the future princess was going to go off without a hitch. The next day, at Apple Acres, the birthday party was in full swing as everything was going perfectly. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and the Apple family had done an amazing job setting everything up. Fluttershy successfully sent out all the invites and everyone that got one was able to come, including Vinyl Scratch as a guest DJ, Shining Amor, Cadance, Twilight's parents, and even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Solana was completely overjoyed and ecstatic to see so many ponies going over to greet her. A couple of hours later, after everyone finished signing the Happy Birthday Song for Solana, Twilight helped her blow out the candle on her cake, and immediately cheering followed afterwards. Twilight smiled as she signaled to Flareon and Rainbow Dash, who were now standing atop a hill overlooking Apple Acres.

"You ready to do this Rainbow Dash?" Flareon asked, "Remember...we have to break the sound barrier together or it won't work."

"Of course I'm ready!" she exclaimed, "Just try to keep up ok?" Right away, Flareon and Rainbow Dash flew high into the sky. After they had reached their target point, they looked down at Apple Acres. It was now or never. Soon after, Flareon and Rainbow Dash quickly flew downwards at high-speed. Once they were about to break through the sounder barrier, Flareon cloaked himself in fire. Just as planned, they successfully managed to break the sound barrier together, but instead of a sun, or a rainbow appearing behind them, a small rainbow star appeared, and a second later, it exploded and showered Apple Acres with small rainbow snowflake stars. Everyone began to cheer loudly as the stars slowly fell down near them. Solana was laughing and giggling happily as a rainbow star fell on her muzzle. Soon after, Flareon and Rainbow Dash landed on the ground and were quickly surrounded by everyone. Twilight and their friends then walked over to them and commented on how much they loved their new technique.

"It was simply beautiful and amazing," Rarity said.

"That...was...awesome!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"That was truly a sight to behold!" Applejack yelled.

"Good work you two," Twilight replied as she smiled, "Solana absolutely loved it! By the way...what are you going to call your new, combined signature move?"

"How about Sonic Supernova Rainbow Cannon?" Flareon suggested, "I know it's a little but of a mouth full, but it is a combination technique, so we might as well combine the names into one big name." Rainbow Dash began to smile.

"I couldn't have said it any better myself," Rainbow Dash replied, "That is one super awesome name Flareon. I love it!" A few seconds later, they decided to head back to the party area and continue celebrating Solana's 1st birthday. Flareon and Twilight knew it wouldn't be long before Solana would take Princess Celestia's spot as the Princess of Equestria. They wanted to spend as much time possible with their daughter before that happened.


	16. True Friends Are Best Friends

Chapter 16  
True Friends Are Best Friends

It has now been four years. Even though Alexei hasn't sent any shadow dragons to attack Ponyville in that time, they have had to put up with Discord on occasion. Solana is now 5 years old and has become a fine, young filly. Her birthday was a couple of days ago and Flareon and Rainbow Dash preformed their Sonic Supernova Rainbow Cannon at Solana's birthday party as they usually have for the last 5 years. Solana was now ready to go to school for the first time. During a sunny morning in Ponyville, Twilight was eagerly getting Solana ready for her first day of school.

"Do you have everything in your bag? Your quills, paper, books, journal, folders?" Twilight asked, "Let me check your bag again."

"You already checked five time already!" Solana exclaimed as she turned to Flareon, "Dad! Please tell mom if I don't hurry, I'm going to be late!" Flareon then walked over to Twilight and put his right hoof softly on her shoulder.

"Twilight...it's ok," Flareon said as he smiled, "She'll be fine."

"I know...I know," an anxious Twilight replied, "It's just that it's Solana's first day and I want to make sure it goes well for her." Solana walked up to Twilight and gave her a hug. She then put on her bag and walked towards the stairs. Solana turned around to see Flareon, Twilight, and Spike smiling at her.

"Bye mom, dad, Spike!" Solana said, "I'll be back later! Bye!" As she ran downstairs, Flareon turned his head to see Twilight tearing up.

"You think she'll be able to make friends?" she asked.

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure Solana will make friends very quickly," Flareon replied, "Besides...Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo are going to be there too." As a teary Twilight gave him a weak smile, they soon split-up and went to do their own things. Meanwhile, Solana was running as fast as she could to the Ponyville Schoolhouse.

"I wish my wings were fully grown! That way I could just fly over there!" Solana panted as she continued to run, "Hopefully I'll make it to school in time!" Luckily for Solana, she happened to make it just in time as the bell rang signaling the start of another school day. Later on, an ecstatic Cheerilee began to address her students.

"Class...I have a very special announcement," Cheerilee said, "We have a new student joining us today!" She then signaled to Solana. "Would you like to come introduce yourself?" Soon after, Solana walked to the front of the class and stood before the other students, who were all watching her with anticipation. Amazingly, Solana felt no fear or anxiety, even though everyone had their eyes on her. She then took a deep breath and began to address her fellow students.

"Hello, my name is Solana. I'm the daughter of Flareon and Twilight. Princess Celestia told me that I'm going to be the next Princess of Equestria. I even have my cutie mark already." Solana then turned to her side and showed every her star cutie mark. "My dad told me I was born with it. I My favorite hobby is reading books, just like my mom! I hope that you will all be my friends...thank you." After she was done speaking, everyone gave her a round of applause. As Solana walked back to her seat, a smirk appeared on Diamond Tiara's face.

"A princess you say?" she whispered under her breath, "This could work out well for me." However, Apple Bloom could already tell what Diamond Tiara was thinking. She then leaned toward her friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Together they were the Cutie Mark Crusaders, a group of ponies dedicated to getting their cutie marks.

"We can't let Diamond Tiara get to Solana first," she whispered to the others, "She just wants to use Solana to boost her popularity. Let's meet up with Solana after school ok?" They quickly nodded their heads in agreement. Diamond Tiara, the daughter of the business tycoon Filthy Rich, was none other than a spoiled brat. She only cared about her about herself and absolutely despised Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. No matter what, they couldn't let her get to Solana before they did. There was no telling how badly Diamond Tiara would corrupt her. Later on, after school ended, Apple Bloom and the others quickly spotted Solana outside and ran towards her as fast as they could. However, Diamond Tiara got to Solana first.

"Hey there Solana," Diamond Tiara said as she approached her.

"Oh hi," Solana replied, "My names Solana. What's your name?"

"My name is Diamond Tiara," she said, "This here is my best friend Silver Spoon." Diamond Tiara then pointed to an earth pony that was wearing glasses on her left.

"Hey Diamond Tiara!" Scootaloo yelled, "Get your greedy hooves away from her!" As Diamond Tiara turned around to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders, a smirk appeared on her face.

"Well look what we have here...it's the blank-blank brigade!" Diamond Tiara said.

"Don't you three have your hoof-washing cutie marks to get?" Silver Spoon replied. As they laughed at them, Diamond Tiara turned to Solana, who was confused at what Silver Spoon was laughing at.

"Pay no attention to those losers," Diamond Tiara said, "They don't even have their cutie marks yet. Be friends with me and Silver Spoon instead of...them."

"Don't listen to her Solana!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, "Diamond Tiara just wants to use you for her own selfish desires!" Unfortunately, Solana wasn't quite sure what to do. She was stuck in the worst type of situation possible. However, Diamond Tiara noticed the look on Solana's face and decided to play her trump card.

"It's very simple Solana," Diamond Tiara said, " Either you be friends with us, the most popular kids in school, and get more friends in return, or you can be friends with the blank-blanks, and be laughed at by everyone. You want to have friends...right?"

"Oh yes, I really do!" Solana exclaimed, "I want to have friends more than anything!" Diamond Tiara fake smiled as she put her right hoof on Solana's shoulder.

"That's what I thought you would say. Come with us Solana, I guarantee you won't be disappointed," Diamond Tiara replied. In the end, Solana decided to side with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon over Apple Bloom and her friends. Unfortunately, Solana didn't realize she had made the wrong choice.

Um...ok," an unsure Solana said, "I'll be your friend." As Solana walked away with her and Silver Spoon, a smug Diamond Tiara turned her head to see the completely baffled Cutie Mark Crusaders, and gave them a mischievous smile. In response, Scootaloo blew raspberries at her. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had no choice but to accept their defeat and left the schoolyard. As the days went by, Diamond Tiara's rotten attitude started to rub off on Solana. it didn't take long before Solana started to becomes like Diamond Tiara. You could almost say Solana was Diamond Tiara's exact twin. Solana even stared to join Diamond Tiara on making fun of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Flareon and Twilight were beginning to realize Solana's change in her attitude. During another night at Golden Oak Library, Flareon was sitting on the couch reading a book he was levitating above his head and Twilight was sitting near a desk jotting down notes from a book for Princess Celestia. Meanwhile, Solana was on the floor, coloring on a piece of paper. Twilight looked up from her book and noticed it was now 8pm.

"Solana," Twilight said as she turned around in her chair, "It's getting late. How about you get started on your homework now?"

"Homework? Meh...pass," Solana replied as she paid no attention to her mother, "Homework is for losers anyway." Flareon and Twilight could barely believe what she was saying. Why was Solana acting so differently compared to almost a week ago? He needed to get to the bottom of this.

"Solana...who have you been hanging out with this past week?" Flareon asked.

"My totally new cool friends Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon!" Solana replied. Right away, Flareon knew the reason behind their daughter's bad attitude.

"I should have figured...look Solana, I don't want you being around those two anymore. They are a bad influence," Flareon said, "Why don't you play with Apple Bloom and her friends instead?" Unfortunately, Solana wasn't quite happy with what her dad just told her.

"Like oh my god dad!" Solana exclaimed, "I don't want to hang out with those uncool and totally lame blank-blanks! Quit butting into my life!" Twilight had just about enough.

"Solana! Don't talk to your father that way!" Twilight replied, "That's it! Go upstairs this instance! You're grounded for the night." Solana then slammed down the crayon she was using onto the ground as she quickly stood up.

"Like whatever mom!" Solana yelled as she angrily stomped up the stairs. Soon after, a worried Twilight walked over to Flareon, who was also concerned about their daughter.

"Oh Flareon," Twilight said as she let out an exhausting sigh, "What are we going to do with her?"

"I don't know," Flareon replied, "We just have to hope that Solana eventually realizes what true friends are. This is something that she has to learn on her own." Later on, they went to sleep, ending a long stressful day. The next day after school ended, Solana, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon decided to go to the Everfree Forest to pick some flowers. As they got there, Solana was hesitant about going into the Everfree Forest.

"Are you sure we can go in there?" Solana asked, "My parents told me I can't go in the Everfree Forest.

"Oh please," Diamond Tiara replied, "There's nothing scary in there. Quit being a baby." Soon after, a reluctant Solana followed them into the forest. A couple of minutes later, as they were picking flowers and putting them into their baskets, a bear suddenly appeared from behind some nearby bushes. The bear roared angrily as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon quickly ran away. Solana tried to escape too, but she accidently tripped over a stump, and fell to the ground. Solana then turned around to see the bear began to slowly approach her. Meanwhile, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon managed to escape the Everfree Forest, and happened to run into the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Whoa! What's the rush you two?" Apple Bloom asked, "Wait...where's Solana at?" Diamond Tiara was still too shaken to speak, but luckily Silver Spoon was able to talk about just happened.

"We were in the Everfree Forest picking flowers when this huge bear appeared out of nowhere. We managed to escape, but I think Solana is still in there!" Silver Spoon exclaimed.

"You left without her?!" Scootaloo yelled angrily, "How could you?!" Unfortunately, the Cutie Mark Crusaders didn't have time to worry about that, they had go into the Everfree Forest and rescue Solana before it was too late. Almost immediately, Apple Bloom and her friends rushed into the forest to save Solana. Meanwhile, Solana had backed into a log as the bear was getting closer.

"Please! Someone help me!" Solana yelled as she put her hooves over her face. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Scootaloo appeared from the cliff above. She used the back of her scooter to hit the bear in the face. Scootaloo then landed near the ground where Solana was.

"Don't worry Solana," Scootaloo said as she smiled, "We got your back!" Suddenly, Solana's eyes began to tear up.

"Thank you!" Solana replied. Soon after, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle appeared. As Apple Bloom distracted the bear, Sweetie Belle ran over to Solana and helped her stand back up.

"Come on Solana!" Sweet Belle exclaimed, "We have to get out of here!" She then turned to her right. "Let's go Apple Bloom!" As she quickly joined them, together they ran away from the bear. Luckily, they managed to successfully escape the forest. Soon after, Diamond Tiara approached them.

"Oh good Solana...your ok," Diamond Tiara said, "Come on let's go and leave those losers behind." Sadly for her, Solana wasn't moving from her spot near Apple Bloom and the others.

"No," Solana replied firmly.

"What did you just say?" Diamond Tiara said angrily.

"My mom and dad were right!" Solana exclaimed, "Your not my friend. You don't even care about me!" She then turned to face the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo are real friends. They even risked their lives just to come save me. I want to be their friends instead." Apple Bloom and the others crowded around Solana congratulating her on finally standing up to Diamond Tiara and telling her what for. However, Diamond Tiara simply lifted up her chin high in disgust.

"I guess I was wrong about you Solana," she replied, "Your nothing more than a loser! Just like those three! If you want to hang around with a bunch of uncool blank-blanks...that's your problem, not mine." Diamond Tiara then turned to her left. "Let's go Silver Spoon." As they were walking away, Solana used her magic to turn a water puddle in front of them into a mud puddle. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon then fell into the mud puddle, which was at least 2 feet deep. As they climbed out of it, Solana and the Cutie Mark Crusaders began to laugh.

"That was a good one Solana!" Apple Bloom said, "I'd definitely give it a 10/10." Soon after, they happily walked past a dumbfounded Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon who were completely covered in mud. Later on, Apple Bloom, in agreement with her friends, agreed to take Solana to their special headquarters, the CMC tree house, where they introduced Solana as the 4th member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She even got a red and blue cape with the CMC logo on it. Even though Solana already had her cutie mark, Apple Bloom told her that the Cutie Mark Crusaders weren't just a group of ponies trying to get their cutie marks, it was a group of best friends. As an overjoyed Solana began to cry, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo quickly hugged her. Solana had finally received the friends she had wished for and in return, realized that true friends make the best kind of friends.


	17. Future Shock

Chapter 17  
Future Shock

They say when you are visited by your future self it can only mean three things. First reason: they are there to tell you to that something very important is going to happen soon and you need to do something specific in order for it to happen. Second reason: they have come back to protect you from a robot that was sent to kill you after robots have taken over the world in the future. Third reason: they have come back to kill your husband because he is the destroyer of the world in the future. Unfortunately for Twilight, she was about to receive the worst of them all, reason three. It all began one morning in Ponyville. Twilight was sitting near the desk in the main room, reading a book, when she began to hear a crackling static sound. Twilight then turned around in her chair, only to be blinded by a bright light. After the light faded, her jaw dropped. What was standing before Twilight was none other than herself. However, this Twilight seemed older, was wearing a black jump suit, an eye patch, and her mane was spiked-up like a wild rock star. The older Twilight put her hoof up to her head.

"Wow...my head is pounding," she muttered, "Who knew time travel was such a strain on the body." Twilight got off her chair and slowly walked over to her older self.

"Um...excuse me?" Twilight asked, "Who are you?" The older Twilight spun around to face her younger self.

"Where is he?" she asked firmly.

"Who are you talking about?" Twilight replied confused.

"Look...I don't have time to explain. Just tell me where he is and I'll get it over with quick," older Twilight said as her eyes were searching around the room. As Twilight was trying to figure out what her future self was talking about, the front door opened and Flareon appeared. As he closed the door behind him, Flareon spotted Twilight and someone else standing by her. She seemed familiar somehow.

"Hey Twilight, I'm back! By the way...who's your friend there?" Flareon asked. Immediately, the Future Twilight charged into Flareon, knocking him into the wall. As Flareon opened his eyes, he saw the strange unicorn standing right in front of him. She was seething with rage as her horn was shining brightly.

"I finally found you!" she yelled, "Just stay right where you are! I promise this will over be over soon Destro! You will never be able to return Equestria to the Dark Ages ever again!" Right away, Twilight began to realize what her older self was attempting. She was going to kill Flareon!

"No!" Twilight exclaimed as she charged up power in her horn. Flareon quickly shielded his face with his hooves. As Future Twilight shot a beam of magic at him, Twilight happened to shot her own beam towards her future self. Luckily for Twilight, she was able to counter her future self's attack just in time. Soon after, Flareon moved his hooves away from his face and slowly turned to the right. He was completely shocked as there was a gigantic hole in the wall besides him. Older Twilight quickly turned to her younger self. She wasn't happy.

"What the heck are you doing?!" Future Twilight exclaimed, "You moron...I almost had him! Do you realize what you just did?" As Twilight was trying to respond to her future self, Flareon tacked the strange unicorn from behind and wrestled her to the ground.

"Alright...spill it!" Flareon yelled, "Why did you just try to kill me?" Suddenly, his eyes widened in shock. After closer inspection, Flareon realized that this strange unicorn looked almost exactly like Twilight. "Wait...Twilight? Why do you look like her? Who are you?!" Unfortunately, she didn't want to cooperate with him.

"Get...off...of...me!" Future Twilight yelled as she tried to break Flareon's hold on her, "I will never submit to you Destro! You hear me? Never!"

"I'm not going to let go until you calm down and promise to explain yourself," Flareon replied, "Otherwise...I'm going to stay here until you do." Sadly for Future Twilight, she saw no other way around this. Future Twilight bit down on her lip as she admitted defeat.

"Fine...you win," Future Twilight muttered, "I promise I will tell you everything." Even though Flareon was thinking she was going try something funny, he had no choice but to believe her. Soon after, Flareon, Twilight, and Future Twilight were all sitting around the coffee table. The silence weighed heavily around the room. Twilight finally decided to break the tension.

"First off...are you really me from the future?" she asked.

"Yes...15 years more precisely," Future Twilight replied.

"Ok...I have a few more questions. What happens in the future? Why did you come back to the past? Who is Destro? Why did you just try to kill Flareon?" Twilight asked. As Future Twilight looked into the concerned eye's of her younger self and Flareon, she was hesitant to tell them the truth, but decided it was for the best and took a deep breath.

"Very well...I will tell you everything," Future Twilight replied as she began to tell Flareon and Twilight what happens in the future. "It all began 15 years ago, or in your case, about a couple of months from now. Alexei had finally regained all of his power and resurrected his entire army of shadow dragons. As they marched towards Canterlot, Princess Celestia ordered her royal guards, along with my brother and Cadance, to confront them in order to protect the city. Celestia and Luna were in charge of evacuating the residents of Canterlot, Cloudsdale, Ponyville, and Fillydelphia, which were the closest residential areas to the capital. Meanwhile, me and my friends, with the Elements of Harmony, had to deal with Discord as Flareon went to battle Alexei. It wasn't long after we sealed Discord using the Hexagon Seal Formation that a voice echoed throughout the sky saying that he, Dark Flareon, had absorbed Flareon and Alexei and obtained their power. At first I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but when I reached the spot where the voice came from, I saw a black alicorn flying in the sky. He then landed down where I was and told me that he wasn't Dark Flareon anymore. He was now Destro, the destroyer. He told me either to we could submits ourselves to him or he would declare war on us. Of course I refused and he right away declared the beginning of the Dark Ages II. I tried to reason with him, but he simply disappeared in a burst of black flames. At that moment, I knew that the old Flareon I cherished and loved with all my heart, was now gone. Soon after, we all headed back to Canterlot and turned put up the best defenses we could to protect the city. Later on, I formed the Equestria Alliance, a group of ponies willing to combat Destro and his army of shadow dragons. I was the main leader in charge of Alpha Team, Celestia was in charge of Beta Team, Luna was in charge of Gamma Team, and Cadance was in charge of Delta Team. Together we were the Elite 4. For 15 long, painful years in total darkness, we constantly battled against Destro and his army. I lost track of how many ponies we lost in the war. It was at that time that Solana finally became the Princess of Equestria. In response, I gave up my position as leader of the Equestria Alliance to her. It wasn't long before I realized that Solana was a much better leader than me. I don't know how to explain it, but she had this strong aurora of hope emitting from her that gave us strength that helped us not only in battle, but we were able to continue pushing on through all the pain and suffering we were forced to endure. During one battle, I jumped in front of a pony to protect him from a dragon's claw attack, but in return I lost my right eye, which is why I wear this eye patch. A couple of days later, I got word that Destro was spotted in the Everfree Forest alone, and immediately rushed over there. At that time, I didn't realize how reckless and foolish I was for trying to kill him by myself. Right away, I knew worlds weren't going to work on him, and the battle between me and Destro began. For a couple of minutes, he just continued to toy with me, that is until I unleashed all the power I could at him. Afterwards, I was hit by a black beam that come out of the smoke cloud that resulted from my attack. Unfortunately, I was too weak as he appeared to be completely unfazed. As I laid there on the ground, he prepared to finish me off, when suddenly, Princess Solana appeared in front of me. She tried pleading with Destro to end this war, to stop all the bloodshed, to return back to the father she loved, but he just laughed at her. Destro then charged up his magic and prepared to kill us both. What happened next, completely shocked me. Solana gave Destro one last request, and that was to let me go free. In return, she would sacrifice herself. Destro agreed to her deal. I tried to yell at her to run away and leave me, but Solana simply smiled at me as she slowly disappeared before my eyes." At that moment, Future Twilight began to cry. "Princess Solana...she...she...sacrificed herself to let me live. It's all my fault! I let her down! I failed as a mother!" Suddenly, Flareon slammed his right hoof down on the table, which resulted in a large crack appearing where his hoof landed. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. He was responsible for that future happening? For the Dark Ages returning? For all those ponies dying? For Solana, his daughter, being kill by him? It couldn't be true.

"Shut up!" Flareon yelled angrily, "You're lying! Tell me your lying!" In response, Future Twilight lowered her head and looked away. She just wasn't able to bring herself to even look at him. Immediately, Flareon got up and ran outside without closing the door behind him.

"Flareon!" Twilight exclaimed. Soon after, Future Twilight softly put her right hoof on Twilight's shoulder and shook her head.

"Leave him be," she muttered, "After what he just heard, I can't blame him." As much as Twilight wanted to help Flareon, she knew it was best to leave him alone for now. Meanwhile, Solana, along with Rainbow Dash and the others, were walking through Ponyville. They had just come from the bowling alley.

"Wow Solana...you sure have got better at bowling," Rainbow Dash said, "Keep practicing kid and you might be as good as me someday."

"Rainbow Dash...you bowled an 94," Applejack replied.

"Yeah...so! I still bowled higher than you did!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Soon after, everyone burst into laughter. Suddenly, they spotted Flareon running towards them.

"Hey Flareon!" Pinkie Pie yelled. Unfortunately, Flareon paid no attention to Solana or his friends as he ran right past them. As they watched him run away, they decided he must have been in a rush and happened to not see them. As they walked into Golden Oak Library, their jaws dropped as they saw two different Twilights.

"Um...it is just me or are there two Twilights standing right before us?" a baffled Rainbow Dash asked. As Applejack closed the boor behind her, they cautiously walked up both Twilights. When Future Twilight spotted Solana, she kneeled down before her.

"Princess Solana, please pardon my intrusion into your home," Future Twilight muttered. Solana, including the others, just stared at her blankly. Rainbow Dash then flew towards Twilight and leaned closer to her.

"Where did you get the weirdo from?" Rainbow Dash whispered.

"That's me...from the future," Twilight replied. Immediately, everyone gasped in amazement.

"Wait...what?! That's you? From the future?!" Applejack exclaimed, "Ok...just hold on for a minute! I think we need some explanation here." As everyone nodded their heads agreement, Future Twilight sighed.

"Fine, I'll explain everything...again," she said as everyone gathered around the coffee table. Later on, after Future Twilight had finished reciting her story, everyone just sat there in complete silence. None of them could believe what they had just heard. Suddenly, Solana lifted up her head and looked at everyone's depressed faces.

"So what? Who cares if that is the future? That doesn't mean we can't change it!" Solana yelled without any hesitation in her voice. Everyone was completely dumbfounded as they couldn't believe their ears. Even though she had heard what the future had turned out to be, Solana was refusing to let that happen. At that moment, Future Twilight's eye began to tear up as she saw the adult princess version of Solana before her. The pony that lead the Equestria Alliance had given everyone hope during the Dark Ages II. A couple of seconds later, they decided to go find Flareon. They quickly searched everywhere in Ponyville and eventually found Flareon in the park, resting under a tree. As they ran up to him, Solana jumped into his hooves, and began to cry. As Flareon softly patted her on the head, he looked up to see everyone's worried faces, including Future Twilight. Solana quickly wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Dad...I don't care about that future! I don't want it to happen! I want to change it!" Solana exclaimed, "Please...don't give up! Let's work together to make a bright, sunny future where everyone is happy!" Flareon smiled as he hugged Solana and held her tightly. He then looked at Future Twilight.

"I...all of us...promise we will find a way to change the future! Future Twilight...please believe in us!" Flareon yelled as everyone nodded their heads in agreement. At that moment, Future Twilight began to glow. It seems her time in the past was just about over. She then smiled at them as a tear ran down her face.

"Flareon, Princess Solana...I mean Solana, my younger self, everyone...I give you my trust that you can and will save the future! I believe in you!" Future Twilight exclaimed as her body slowly disappeared. No matter what, Flareon was going to make sure that dark future that never happened. He, Twilight, Solana, and his friends were determined to make way for a bright future where everyone could be happy and live in peace.


	18. Think Like A Stallion

Chapter 18  
Think Like A Stallion

It was April Fools' Day in Ponyville. Everywhere you looked, everyone was being the victim of pranks, and Flareon was no exception. He had now been pranked by Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. It wasn't long before Flareon decided it was time to get some payback and he knew the best way to get it. After Flareon went back home, he quickly ran to upstairs. As Flareon sat down near his desk, he soon got to work making the perfect prank. Later on, Flareon decided to bring Twilight, Spike, and his friends to the park for a picnic.

"So...Flareon? What's the picnic for?" Twilight asked.

"Oh...it's nothing special. I just figured it was such a nice day out for a picnic," Flareon replied. He was finding it hard to hide his smirk.

"Hope you're not mad after how good we pranked you! No hard feelings right?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Oh yeah, of course not! I absolutely love pranks!" Flareon replied.

"By the way...what's the mirror for?" Twilight asked as they were all wondering why Flareon had brought a huge dressing mirror to a picnic.

"Oh that thing? Trust me...you'll be needing that soon," Flareon replied as he lowered his head and smiled mischievously. Everyone was starting to become very suspicious, but at that moment, Flareon started to pass around the drinks he had brought. As everyone got their drinks, Flareon decided to propose a toast. "Here's to a great April Fools' Day!" he exclaimed as everyone raised their glasses high in the air. Soon after, they swallowed their drinks, however, Flareon was seen tossing the contents of his glass onto the grass while no one was looking. A few seconds later, the picnic area was engulfed in blue smoke, with some pink mixed in. After the smoke dissipated, Flareon quickly burst into laughter as he fell on his back. "Oh my god! My ribs...my ribs! I can't...stop...laughing!" Flareon yelled.

"What are you laughing at?" Twilight asked. When she turned her head, she was completely shocked to see what happened to her friends. "Rainbow Dash? Rarity? Pinkie Pie? Look at you...guys!" she exclaimed. Immediately, everyone quickly ran over to the mirror, and were rendered absolutely speechless. It turns out, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie had all become stallions, while Spike had become a female dragon. Right away, Rainbow Dash angrily flew over to Flareon and grabbed him.

"What...what did you do to us?!" she yelled. Flareon however, was still trying hard to hold back his laughter.

"April Fools!" Flareon exclaimed as Rainbow Dash let go of him. "Sorry everyone, but I think this is what you would call...checkmate?"

"Ha ha...very funny Flareon," Twilight replied, "Ok...jokes over, change us back now."

"Sorry, guys...and girl...but, the potions' effect last for 24 hours. You're just going to have to wait till it wears off," Flareon said happily as he walked away from the six dumbfounded stallions and one very confused female dragon, "Have fun!" After he left, Twilight turned to face her new guy friends. They were all still shocked about how good Flareon had got them.

"Well guys...and girl...looks we have no choice. We just have to wait this out," Twilight said.

"I swear...I'm so going to get Flareon back for this!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"I have to admit though...he sure got us good," Applejack replied as she turned to her left, "Oh Spike! Don't you look absolutely adorable?" Spike however, wasn't finding any of this funny.

"Oh shut up," Spike muttered as he crossed his arms, "I'm not cute." Everyone quickly burst into laughter as they finally accepted being pranked by Flareon. Soon after, they all split-up and went their separate ways. Later on, Rainbow Dash was seen having a hard time flying as he was constantly crashing into everything. After Rainbow fell down onto a restraint table, two ponies looked at him disgusted, and walked away. Rainbow Dash quickly jumped off the table and wiped the food off him.

"Stupid guy body," Rainbow Dash muttered, "I can't even fly straight. The aerodynamics of this body are totally different from my own. It's almost like learning how to fly all over again. Mark my words Flareon...I'm going to get you back for this!" Soon after, Rainbow Dash tried to fly again, but instead crashed through the window of Carousel Boutique, where he found Rarity sitting near his desk, surrounded by scraps of discarded paper. Rarity was busying drawing a dress design, but quickly crumbled the paper, and threw it towards the ground.

"That's it! I give up!" Rarity exclaimed, "I just can't think up any new dress ideas with this dumb guy brain! All I can think about is guy stuff! Curse that devious Flareon!"

"Having a hard time too huh Rarity?" Rainbow Dash asked as he walked over to him. Rarity turned around in her chair and sighed deeply.

"Yeah...looks like I might as well just wait till tomorrow until the potion wears off to make new dress designs," Rarity replied as he and Rainbow Dash shared a hug. Meanwhile, it seems not everyone was having a hard time adjusted to their new body. At Apple Acres, Applejack smiling happily as he was busy collecting apples from the trees.

"Wow...it's almost like my kicking power has increased three times!" Applejack exclaimed as he kicked another tree and apples once again fell into the basket. "I barely even have to kick the trees for the apples to fall. That way I'm saving my energy and can collect from a lot more trees than I previously could before! I have to thank Flareon later. This is the most helpful prank I've ever experienced! That's not to say I won't get him back somehow." Applejack then smiled as he got back to work. As the day went by, Applejack was the most happy of them all as he had beaten his own apple collecting record. Pinkie Pie didn't seem to really care whether he was a guy or girl as Pinkie Pie continued his day as he normally does. Twilight was too embarrassed to be seen out in public and didn't even leave the house once while Spike was constantly told how cute and adorable she was by everyone in town. Fluttershy had a hard time telling his animals who he really was because they thought he was Flareon in disguise, but eventually, Fluttershy was able to convince them he was actually Fluttershy. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash and Rarity had the worst days in their lives. The next day, everyone woke up and were happy to find out they had returned to their normal bodies. During the afternoon, Twilight along with Spike and her friends, invited Flareon for a picnic in the park. For some reason, they also brought the dressing mirror.

"So...how did you girls and guy like being guys and girl?" Flareon asked.

"I hated it," Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Spike replied together.

"Angel didn't like it either," Fluttershy muttered, "Or any of my animals for that matter."

"I actually didn't mind," Applejack said, "I was even able to beat my old apple collecting record! Thanks Flareon!"

"So...what's the picnic for? We celebrating something? Also...why did you bring that mirror with you?" Flareon asked.

"Oh...no reason," Twilight replied, "It just seemed like such a nice day out." Soon after, she passed around the drinks on the tray to everyone. Twilight deiced to have a toast. "Here's to Flareon! The Prank Master!" Twilight said as everyone raised their glasses response. As Flareon gulped down his drink, he failed to notice that everyone had tossed the contents of their glasses onto the grass. Immediately, Flareon was engulfed in a cloud of pink smoke. After it dissipated, everyone burst into laughter as they fell on their backs.

"What are you all laughing at?" Flareon asked. Instead of receiving an answer, they simply moved the mirror in front of him. Right away, he knew what was so funny. Flareon had turned into a mare and had become Flarena once again. Apparently, Twilight had found the leftover gender change potion Flareon had left on his desk. After telling everyone her plan, they agreed on taking Flareon to the park for a picnic again, and were going to prank him the same way he did to them. Drinks, mirror, and all.

"Post April Fools'!" they exclaimed as everyone burst into laughter again.

"Ok...I admit it. You got me," Flarena replied as she couldn't help but laugh along with them. Soon after, Flarena agreed with the others not to play this prank again next year. However, that was all said while everyone had their hooves, and claws, crossed behind their backs. You know what they say, all's fair game during April Fools' Day, and that includes using a potion to swap your friends' gender. Seriously though...do not try this prank at home.


	19. Clones Of My Own

Chapter 19  
Clones Of My Own

Wouldn't it be nice to have clones of yourself? You could have them take your place at school, work, situations where you wouldn't want to be in, and especially annoying chores, all while you just sat back and relaxed. The perfect life. That is something Flareon has always dreamed of having, his own personal clones to order around and do whatever he asked. Luckily for him, in the world of MLP pretty much anything was possible, even cloning. It all began one sunny afternoon in Ponyville. Flareon was in the park, resting on a tree branch. "This is the life! Nice and quiet! Alexei's still hiding in his cave, it's sunny out, warm temperature, I could lay here all day!" Unfortunately, that was all about to change real fast because at that moment, he saw Twilight approaching him.

"Flareon! There you are!" she said, "Don't tell me your going to slack off after making promises to everyone?"

"What are you talking about?" Flareon asked, "What promises?"

"Nice try, but Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Cheerilee, and Mayor Mare told me how you promised to help them," Twilight replied.

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you are talking about," he said. However, Flareon suddenly began to remember how he obliviously made promises to everyone without realizing it. "Oh no...wait a moment. Now I remember...everything." Flareon then hit himself in the face with his right hoof. How could he have been so stupid? Why did he promise everyone he would help them when he didn't want to? "Well...so much for my peaceful and relaxing day," Flareon said as he jumped off from the tree and landed near her. "By the way...what exactly were those so-called promises again?" Twilight let out a sigh as she shook her head.

"Oh Flareon...you really are something aren't you?" Twilight replied as she began to tell him what he had promised everyone. "Your going to help Applejack repaint her barn, help Rarity deliverer her dresses, help Pinkie Pie and Mr. and Mrs. Cake with their bake sale, help Cheerilee with her class at school, and help Mayor Mare with some remodeling on the Town Hall." Flareon's jaw quickly dropped in response. He had agreed to do all that? It seemed too impossible to be true, but it was. "Well then Flareon...you did make promises to everyone. I'm sure you won't let them down!" Twilight exclaimed as she smiled at him. Soon after, she left and Flareon was just seen standing there in total disbelief. There had to be a way out of this. At that moment, Flareon was struck with an idea. What if he helped everyone while not actually helping them? Immediately, Flareon flew into the air and headed back home as fast as possible. Luckily for him, no one was home. Flareon quickly got to work as he began to search the bookshelves. A couple of minutes later, he finally found the book he was looking for called 'Clones Of Your Own'. As Flareon opened the book, he quickly began to read the instructions for the cloning spell. "It's a voice activated spell," Flareon muttered, "Seems simple enough. Well...here goes nothing." Immediately, Flareon began to read the spell and once he was done, a bright light emitted from his body. After the light disappeared, Flareon couldn't believe his eyes as there were now five Flareons standing before him. Soon after, he began to pace in front of them like a drill sergeant to this soldiers. "Alright Flareons listen up! I have some jobs for you guys!" Flareon then pointed to each one. "You help Applejack repaint her barn, you help Rarity deliver her dresses, you help Pinkie Pie with her bake sale, you help Cheerilee at school, and you help Mayor Mare fix up the Town Square. Ok...everyone clear? Now go, hurry, before Twilight finds out." Soon after, the clones left Golden Oak Library and headed off to their assigned duties. Meanwhile, Flareon flew back to the park and laid on his favorite tree branch. "I should have done this a long time ago," Flareon said as he stretch out and relaxed, "My own personal clones to do whatever I want. What could possibly go wrong?" Flareon soon fell asleep, not knowing the chaos he had just unleashed on Ponyville. It took only a few minutes for the Flareon clones to go out of control. The first clone painted his face on the side of Applejack's barn with the badly written words 'Flareon waz herez.' The second clone did manage to deliver the packages containing the dresses, but had thrown them threw windows and directly at the customers who had ordered them. The third clone was hurling the sweets at everyone passing by like a kid in a food fight. The fourth clone had locked Cheerilee outside as he and the students staged an archery on the school. The fifth clone successfully remolded the Town Hall, and by remodeling, I mean he completely destroyed it. Unfortunately, it didn't stop there as the five Flareon clones still continued to cause chaos everywhere they went. Soon after, Twilight got her friends together at Golden Oak Library. Immediately, they tried to figure out why Flareon had gone absolutely crazy, but when they realized all this had happened at the same time, they were completely baffled. How could Flareon be at five places at the same time? Suddenly, Twilight figured it out as she walked towards a bookshelf and saw a book that was sticking out slightly.

As Twilight brought the book over to her and read the cover, she said, "I should've known...Flareon cloned himself."

"He cloned himself?!" Applejack exclaimed, "Well I'll be...I should have know Flareon was acting funny. Wait...then where is the real Flareon at?"

"I think I may know where he might be. Let's go!" Twilight replied as they quickly followed after her. Meanwhile, Flareon was still sleeping on the tree, but woke up when he suddenly heard the sound of approaching hooves. It was Twilight and his friends. They weren't happy.

"Oh hey Twilight! I flew back here a few minutes ago after I finished helping everyone. No problem at all!" Flareon said, but quickly saw everyone's angry faces. "Is there something wrong?" Immediately, Flareon was hit in the face by a book that came out of nowhere, and fell off the tree. After he landed down on the ground, he turned to his right and saw 'Clones Of Your Own' and quickly realized his cover was blown.

"Flareon," Twilight said angrily, "You'll have time to explain yourself later. Right now...we need to stop those clones, but we need your help ok?" Soon after, Flareon agreed to gather his out of control clones. Later on, Flareon had successfully managed to tie up the clones together and brought them to the park. He then began to lower them to the ground where Twilight and his friends were waiting with the book in the middle of them.

"Flareon...just drop them down on the book and then they will return you to your body," Twilight said. After Flareon dropped the clones onto the book, they disappeared, and a bright ball of light came out of the book and went into Flareon's body.

As Flareon landed back on the ground near everyone, he said, "Look...I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I should have paid attention when I made those promises. Also, I should have stuck to those promises instead of taking the easy way out."

"Apology accepted," Twilight replied, "Now all that's left is your punishment." Unfortunately for Flareon, he knew there was no way out of this one. A couple of hours later, Flareon was busy rebuilding the Town Hall. As Flareon wiped the sweat of his forehead, he turned his head and looked down at Twilight, who continued to keep an eye on him.

"Once your done Flareon, you have to repaint Applejack's barn, fix everyone's windows that were broken, go to a parent-teacher conference at school with Cheerilee to explain why school is important, and clean up the bake sale area. I take it that won't be a problem...will it?" Twilight asked as she smiled.

"No," Flareon replied as he let of a deep sigh and got back to work. In the end, there is an important lesson to be learned from all of this. One, do not agree to hastily make promises without knowing what those promises were. Second, if you accidentally agree to those promises, make sure you still find a way to still carry them out. Last but not least, do not try to use a spell from a book to clone yourself because there is a chance those clones will rebel and go absolutely crazy.


	20. Flareon's On Fire

Chapter 20  
Flareon's On Fire

Draco, also knows as the triple-headed devil king, is a gigantic shadow dragon with three heads that was created by Alexei that stands tall at 50 ft. He is also the most powerful dragon Alexei has ever created. In terms of rank, Draco is the highest ranking general in Alexei's army. Draco's most unique attribute is his three heads, which all have completely different personalities. The middle head is the leader of the three and the serious one, the right head is the sarcastic one, and the left head is the crazy one. However, Draco is wingless and can't fly, but that has never stopped him before as he has caused many problems for the Elemental Warriors in the past. Draco has only cared about one thing and that is total destruction of anything that stands in his way. While Maximus and Grim are powerful in their own way, neither of them weren't even close in comparison to Draco's power. This was going to be Flareon's toughest challenge yet. During another morning of the usual silence and death hanging in the air in Death Valley, Alexei smiled as he got out of his chair.

"Discord, it's time to revive...him," Alexei said as he walked towards Discord.

"It's about time Lord Alexei," Discord replied, "After all...there are only a couple of months left before you regain all of your power." Soon after, they left the cavern and walked for two minutes until they reached a large clearing.

"Ah perfect...this should be a big enough area," Alexei said as he began to charge up power in his right claw, "Now...come back to me Draco!" He then shot the dark energy into the ground as it quickly covered the entire area. After it dispersed, a very large dragon, who was at least 50 ft. tall, was standing before them. Suddenly, Draco spotted Alexei below him and bowed, which caused an earthquake as a result. The middle head began to speak first.

"My Lord...it's a pleasure to see you're still malevolent and vicious as ever," he said, "Would you mind us asking what happened? We remember tramping all over Fort Venture when everyone went black."

"That is because when I was sealed by the Elemental Warriors, my entire army, including you, disappeared along with me," Alexei replied, "It has now been 10,000 years since then, but do not fret Draco, Equestria will soon be mine."

"Hey! What happened to dumb and dumber?" Draco's right head asked as he laughed under his breath.

"Unfortunately, Grim and Maximus were both killed by Flareon, the chosen one that has the same power as Nova," Alexei replied as he showed no remorse for his fallen generals, "I take it you want a piece of him?"

"Yeah! Bring it on! We'll totally rip that little runt into bite sized pieces! I want to enjoy eating him!" Draco's left head exclaimed as his mouth began to salivate.

"You're in luck Draco because all you have to do is travel to a town called Ponyville and you will find Flareon there. Once you kill him, I herby give you permission to eat all the ponies in Ponyville you want...my treat," Alexei replied as he smiled mischievously. Right away, all three of Draco's heads eyes glowed in anticipation of an all-you-can-eat pony buffet.

"It's as good as done my lord," the middle head said as Draco signaled to his other heads, "Come on you two. Let's go kill this chosen one already!" As Draco stomped away towards Ponyville, Alexei walked back in the cavern, was soon followed by Discord. Alexei then sat down on his stone throne and relaxed.

"So...do you think Flareon can beat Draco?" Discord asked.

"He'd better or I'm really going to be bored when I regain my full power," Alexei replied as he and Discord began to laugh manically as their laughter could be heard from outside the cavern. Later on, at a restaurant in Ponyville, two ponies were seen talking to each other from across the table as they had just finished their lunch. Suddenly, they noticed their glasses filled with water began to vibrate. As the vibrations got stronger, the glasses then jumped on the table and fell over. When they turned around, they saw Draco walking towards them, destroying every house and building in his path. They quickly screamed as ran away as the residents of Ponyville began to flee in terror. Soon after, Flareon appeared, followed by Twilight and his friends.

"Twilight! Everyone! Go help the residents escape! I'll handle giganto over there!" Flareon yelled as Twilight and the others left to help everyone get to safety. He then turned to face Draco. "Alright you ugly walking mountain...no one, I repeat no one, destroys this town on my watch!" Flareon yelled as he flew to confront Draco. As Flareon stopped in front of him, all three heads began to laugh.

"Well, well, well...look what we have here guys? It's the chosen one!" the middle head exclaimed.

"The chosen one? More like the tiny one! Am I right or what? Um...guys?" the right head said as he was wondering why no one was laughing at his joke.

"Dude...that was terrible. Seriously...terrible," the middle head replied as he shook his head in disappointment.

"Would you idiots stop joking around already?!" the left head yelled angrily, "Let's just kill this runt! I'm hungry!" Soon after, all three heads nodded in agreement as they looked directly at Flareon viciously and roared loudly. The battle between Flareon and Draco had now begun as only one of them was going to come out of this alive and Flareon was going to make sure it was him. As Flareon flew around Draco, he continuously shot both small rapid and big strong fireballs at Draco while dodging his fireballs and constant attempts to eat him. A few minutes later, after Flareon dodge another of Draco's fireballs, he flew back and created a Fire Tornado and quickly hit it towards Draco as it quickly engulfed him in a blazing inferno. Unfortunately, Draco simply blew away the fire from around him as he was completely unfazed by the Fire Tornado. In response, Draco's middle head began to charge up power in his mouth.

"Let's see how you like this attack kid! Giga Explosion Sphere!" the middle head yelled as he shot a huge black ball at Flareon. Luckily, he managed to dodge it just in time as it flew past him into the sky. A second later, it exploded, and a huge black sphere of darkness was seen in the sky as a shockwave emitted from it. Even though it was far away, Flareon was pushed back by the shockwave's powerful force. This was definitely an attack Flareon had to make sure he avoided. It was at that moment Flareon decided it was time to end this fight as he flew high into the sky. After Flareon turned around, he summoned a Fire Shuriken, and threw it at Draco. Right away, he was completely engulfed in a blazing dome of fire as the Fire Shuriken's amazing power was put on display once again. However, after the fire dispersed, Draco was seen without a single scratch on his body. The Fire Shuriken failed to make so much as a dent in Draco's armor. All three of Draco's heads began to laugh.

"Was that the best you could do Flareon? I've seen small candles burn hotter than your weak attacks!" the right head said as he chuckled. Suddenly, the middle head once again charged up power in his mouth and shot another Giga Explosion Sphere directly at Flareon. This time however, he wasn't able to dodge it. After the dark sphere exploded, Flareon was seen plummeting in the air and crashed through the roof of a nearby building. Draco quickly ran over where Flareon had landed and began trampling all over the building.

"Once we're done stomping you into a pulp, you're going right into our stomach chosen one!" the left head exclaimed. Soon after, Draco began to search through the rubble, but amazingly, they didn't find any trace of Flareon's body.

"Keep searching you fools!" the middle head yelled angrily, "He's got to be here somewhere!" Meanwhile, Flareon was flying high in the air behind Draco. Apparently, after Flareon had fallen into the building, he managed to escape it without Draco noticing.

"None of my fire attacks affected Draco, not even my Fire Tornado or Fire Shuriken," Flareon muttered, "I've got to get stronger! I've got to protect Ponyville! I can't let everyone down!" He then curled himself into a ball as fire slowly emitted from his body and formed a ball of fire. A few seconds later, Draco's middle head looked up in the sky at the ball of fire.

"What the heck is that?" the middle head asked.

"How am I supposed to know? You're the smart one!" the left head yelled. As all three of Draco's heads began to argue, the ball of fire suddenly exploded. After the fire dissipated, a burning object was seen flying in the sky. It was Flareon. Not only was he taller with a larger horn and wings, but his body was completely made of fire. As Flareon opened his eyes, he quickly spotted a dumbfounded Draco standing before him. A smile then appeared on Flareon's face. Soon after, he flew towards Draco as this battle was far from over. As Draco shot multiple fireballs towards Flareon, he managed to dodge them all with ease. Flareon then flew low to the ground as he reared back his right hoof and punched Draco hard in the stomach. The force of Flareon's punch was so powerful it sent the giant dragon tumbling across the ground helplessly as he soon crashed into a building. Unfortunately, Draco didn't have time to recover as Flareon quickly created a Fire Tornado. However, in his new form, the Fire Tornado was upgraded to a more powerful form called the Fire Hurricane, which is wider and delivers more damage. Flareon then kicked the Fire Hurricane towards Draco who was immediately engulfed in a blazing inferno. All three heads screamed in pain as the fire from hurricane burned his body. After the fire dissipated, Draco slowly stood back up as all three heads were seething with fury.

"You think you're such hot stuff don't you? Just because you transformed and got stronger doesn't mean we still won't kill you! It's time we showed you what true power really is! Our ultimate attack!" Draco's middle head exclaimed. Right away, all three heads began to gather power in their mouths. "Triple Giga Explosion Sphere!" all three heads yelled as they fired a total of three black balls of dark energy directly at Flareon. However, he didn't even try to evade them as Flareon was soon consumed by all three, and a second later, they exploded in the sky as a shockwave was quickly followed afterwards. All three of Draco heads began to laugh as they basked in the glory of their newfound victory. Sadly for them, their victory was immediately cut short when they noticed Flareon was still seen flying above. He was completely unfazed by their attack as there was not a scratch on his flame body. They couldn't believe their eyes. At that moment, Flareon began to create another Fire Shuriken. However, in his new form, the Fire Shuriken was upgraded to a more powerful form called the Ultimate Fire Shuriken, which can be created in less time, be thrown faster, the blast area becomes larger, and delivers more damage.

"Ultimate Fire Shuriken!" Fire yelled as he threw it at a baffled Draco. The shuriken then traveled low to the ground and three seconds later, hit Draco directly in his stomach. The force of the shuriken was so powerful it began to push Draco back. Soon after, it lifted the gigantic dragon high into the air, past the clouds. A helpless Draco could only manage to look down below at Flareon, who was smiling at him.

"Curse you Flareon! Curse you!" the middle head explained as he was soon engulfed in a huge swirling sphere of blazing fire. A shockwave was soon followed afterwards that managed to shatter every glass window in Ponyville. The gust of wind from the shockwave was so strong it maxed out Twilight's wind gauge that was positioned on the side of their house. The sphere of fire slowly disappeared and afterwards, Draco was nowhere to be seen. Flareon had successfully managed to defeat him. Soon after, Flareon flew back down to the ground, and was quickly surrounded by Twilight and his friends.

"Oh my god Flareon! That...was...so...awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "You totally kicked that dragon's behind with that super cool Fire Shuriken! Also...what the heck happened to your body? It's on fire...literally!" As everyone began to admire Flareon's new form, Pinkie Pie reached out towards him with her right hoof.

"No Pinkie Pie! Don't touch him!" Twilight yelled. Amazingly, she was able to safely touch his flame body without getting burned.

"Oh...it's so warm and soft!" Pinkie Pie. The fire on his body simply danced around her hoof as she continued to rub him. Soon after, everyone began to touch his flame body.

"I've got to hand it Flareon," Applejack said, "This is one mighty impressive ability you have!" However, Flareon was beginning to get annoyed by them constantly touching him.

"I think that's enough...I said that's enough! Ok...it's going away now!" Flareon said as the fire on his body dispersed as he returned back normal. In response, everyone quickly let out a sigh of disappointment as they wanted to touch his flame body more.

"So Flareon...what are you going to call your new ability?" Twilight asked.

"Hmm...how about Flame God Mode?" Flareon replied, "It's sort of similar to this girl's power in this anime I watched once." Right away, everyone agreed in response of Flareon's name for his new ability. A few minutes later, everyone went their separate ways as Mayor Mare had the construction ponies rebuild the destroyed houses and buildings. Even though Flareon had defeated Alexei's most powerful shadow dragon, it wasn't over yet as the final battle against Alexei was drawing near.


	21. Strike It Perfect

Chapter 21  
Strike It Perfect

In the game of bowling, 300 is the holy grail of achievements, the stuff of legends. Anyone who is able to bowl a 300 will go down in history as one of the small percentage of people who have done it. The chance of bowling a 300 is 11,500 to 1. It is easy to get addicted to bowling a 300, especially if you get very close to getting one. Flareon is no stranger to obsessions. Videogames, anime, TV, books, cars, are just some of the things he has been addicted to, and bowling was about to be the next addition to that list. It all began one afternoon in Ponyville. Flareon was at the bowling alley and had now got 8 strikes in a row. Everyone quickly noticed he was only 4 strikes away from getting a 300 and crowded around him. Flareon, who was feeling the added pressure mounting on him, picked up his ball and rolled it down the lane. Unfortunately, he missed his mark slightly and ended up only knocking down 8 pins as the 300 was now lost. As everyone groaned in disappointment, Flareon stomped down his right hoof angrily. He got so close to getting a 300, so very close. Flareon desperately wanted to get his name on the '300 Legends' wall of ponies who have bowled a 300. That was an achievement he wanted to be remembered for, but first, Flareon had do something he never did before, even as a human, and that was to bowl a perfect 300. After Flareon finished his game, he decided to play another one. Six hours later, Flareon had now played a total of 10 games. In most of those games, Flareon took a perfect game into the 7th frame, but he wasn't able to bowl a 300. Flareon wanted to continue, but he was feeling very swore, and it was also getting close to dinner time. So after some thought, Flareon decided to call it a day and headed home. Later on at Golden Oak Library, Flareon, Twilight, Solana, and Spike were sitting around the table in the kitchen and eating dinner.

"I'm telling you Twilight...I was this close," Flareon said, "Oh man...I can't wait till I get my name on that 300 Legend wall. I'm not going to give up until I do!"

"Flareon...just be careful ok?" Twilight asked, "I don't want this turning out like it did with your Mustang." He quickly shivered in response to her words.

"Twilight...please don't ever bring that up again. Do you remember how long that took me to get over?" Flareon replied.

"Three months...yeah, I remember," Twilight said. She then turned to Solana, who was looking restless in her chair. "Solana...isn't there something you want to tell your father?" Right away, an excited Solana nearly jumped out of her chair.

"Dad! Guess what?!" she exclaimed, "At school...I got the lead actress role in our play! We're going to preform it at Canterlot for Princess Celestia!"

"Wow! That's amazing Solana!" Flareon replied as he smiled, "I can't wait to see it!" However, Twilight could sense the uncertainty in his voice. You could call it wife's intuition, which can pick up pretty much anything hidden, especially Twilight's, whose intuition was amazingly sharp as there wasn't anything Flareon could hide from her.

"Flareon," Twilight said in a very serious tone, "You better not let that new obsession of yours make you miss our daughter's play." Right away, he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. There was nothing scarier than Twilight getting mad at him...absolutely nothing. Flareon didn't want to think about what Twilight would do to him if he missed Solana's play.

"Don't worry Twilight," Flareon replied as he tried to convince her, "I'm not going to let myself becomes obsessed with bowling a 300 and miss Solana's play. I mean come on...I'm not that weak-willed to become too fixated on something like bowling." He then laughed as Twilight finally managed to crack a smile.

"That's good to hear," she said. "Remember...the play is taking place in the castle courtyard Friday afternoon at 2pm." Soon after, they continued to eat their dinner, and a couple of hours later, they all went to sleep. The next following days, Flareon unfortunately did let bowling a 300 overtake him, especially one game when he got 11 strikes in a row, but messed up on the last frame and missed his chance. As the big day was drawing near, Twilight was starting to get concerned, but then Flareon was able to convince her that he would absolutely make it to Solana's play on time, no matter what. Friday morning, Twilight and Spike took Solana to Canterlot to meet up with Cheerilee and her fellow classmates. Meanwhile, Flareon was once again at the bowling alley. A few hours later, Flareon was in the last frame of his 5th game, and had a perfect game going. After Flareon had bowled two strikes, he was now one strike away from getting a 300. The crowd around him began to chant his name in anticipation. However, when Flareon looked at the clock, he noticed it was now 1:55pm. Solana's play was going to start in five minutes. If Flareon didn't leave now, he wasn't going to make it in time. At that moment, Flareon decided it was more important if he was there to support his daughter rather than getting a personal achievement like bowling a perfect game. Flareon then dropped his ball and quickly left the bowling alley. Immediately, Flareon flew into the air and headed towards Canterlot as fast as possible. Five minutes later, in the castle courtyard, the play had now begun. As Solana began to speak her first lines, she looked into the crowd and saw Twilight and Spike, but noticed that Flareon's seat was empty. Unfortunately, Solana started to hesitate and got tongue tied. A few seconds later, she turned her head towards her family again, and this time, saw Flareon near Twilight. He was trying to catch his breath. Solana quickly felt a huge boost of confidence as she began to recite her lines perfectly.

"Flareon! Where the heck were you?!" Twilight whispered angrily through her teeth as she continued to smile for Solana.

"I...got...held...up," Flareon panted. Soon after, he was able to finally catch his breath. "Look Twilight...I'm sorry. I uh...let myself get obsessed with bowling a 300, but you don't have to worry anymore, I'm over it." Even though Twilight hard every right to be mad at him, she decided he learned his lesson, and forgave him. Later on, thanks to Flareon and Twilight's support, Solana preformed her role perfectly as the play was a huge success. Princess Celestia had absolutely loved it. Even though Flareon never was never able to bowl a 300 and get his name on the 300 Legends wall, the fact he was able to support his daughter when she needed him the most, that itself was more fulfilling than bowling 300 perfect 300 games. 


	22. Pizza Wars

Chapter 22  
Pizza Wars

As a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Solana wanted to help her best friends Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo get their cutie marks anyway she could. During one afternoon in Ponyville, at the CMC tree house, Solana came up with an idea. What if they opened up a stand that makes and sells pizza? They could try to get their pizza-maker cutie marks. Right away, Apple Bloom and the others agreed to the idea. Soon after, they split-up and went to get the supplies. Apple Bloom got a small oven, Scootaloo got the wood, Sweetie Belle would got the paint, and Solana got the ingredients. Their plan was to make the pizzas in advance and then after the customer ordered it, they could just give the pizza to them without the wait. After they had set everything up, including the pizzas, it didn't take long before they were getting customers. Unfortunately, the fun didn't last as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon came walking up to them.

"Well, well...if it isn't Solana and the blank-blank crew," Diamond Tiara said, "What are you losers doing anyway?" She then backed up and looked at the sigh above. "CMC Pizza? What...are you trying to get your make-everyone-barf cutie marks?"

"No...we're trying to get our pizza-maker cutie marks," Apple Bloom replied.

"Yeah! So why don't you go bother someone else!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "You're scaring our customers away!"

"Whatever," Diamond Tiara replied as she turned her back to them, "Come on Silver Spoon. Let's leave these Cutie Mark Failures to bother with their pointless nonsense." As they turned around and walked away with their heads held high, Scootaloo stuck out her tongue at them and blew raspberries.

"Ignore them," Solana said, "We need to get your cutie marks!" As everyone nodded their heads in agreement, they quickly got back to work. Later on, Solana and the others were completely fatigued as they had worked hard the entire day. All in all, they sold 38 pizzas.

"Did you girls get your cutie marks yet?" Solana muttered as she turned her head on the table to her tried friends. They slowly looked at their flanks, but saw nothing there.

"Nope," Sweetie Belle replied.

"Maybe we need to sell 100 pizzas," Scootaloo said as she yawned, "If that doesn't work...then I guess pizza-making isn't our talent after all." Soon after, they closed the stand, and went back home to go sleep finally ending a very long and exhausting day. The following morning, they returned to their pizza stand, however, they were in for a nasty surprise. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had opened their own pizza stand directly across from their own called 'Pizza Perfection.' Their stand was very well-built and extravagant looking, but considering how rich Diamond Tiara's family was, it wasn't that much of a surprise.

"Hey! Diamond Tiara!" Apple Bloom yelled as they quickly ran over to her stand, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"What's wrong?" a smug Diamond Tiara replied, "Afraid to handle a little competition?"

"Oh please...we're going to easily beat you to 100 pizzas sold!" Scootaloo exclaimed. She then turned to her friends. "Come on girls! Let's show these two how it's really done!" Right away, they returned to their stand to open it up for business. It was now a pizza war between CMC Pizza and Pizza Perfection. The Cutie Mark Crusaders weren't going to let themselves lose to Diamond Tiara, no matter what. However, they soon realized that ponies were more inclined to go to Pizza Perfection because of how elegant Diamond Tiara's stand was, and compared to their own, it wasn't even close.

"I have an idea," Solana said as she picked up the sign showing the price of their pizza. She then scribbled out what was written there and instead wrote down a cheaper price. Soon after, more ponies started to visit them, rather than Pizza Perfection. However, Diamond Tiara quickly figured out their plan, and lowered the price of her pizza more. Right away, each stand continued to lower their prices in response to the other, until both stands were selling their pizza for free. Unfortunately, it now turned to whose stand was better looking, and it was obvious that Pizza Perfection was far superior in that category than CMC Pizza.

"Wait here! I'm go to my big sister's house to get some decorations for our stand!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed as she quickly headed for Carousel Boutique. A couple of minutes later, she returned with a cart full of decorating supplies. Right away, Sweetie Belle got to work improving their stand's appearance. Soon after, thanks to Sweetie Belle's amazing decorating skills, she managed to make their stand just as elegant as Diamond Tiara's. Since both stands were now equal in the price of their pizza and appearance, it now came down to whose pizza tasted better. As it stood, CMC Pizza has now sold 68 pizzas compared to Pizza Perfections 65. It was still anyone's game to win to reach 100 total. However, it was now getting late, so both stands decided to close for the day and continue their competition tomorrow. The next day, both the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Diamond Tiara got work to trying to outdo the other. Right away, they both constantly altered the ingredients in their pizza to make it taste better. Later on, both stands managed to make it to 100 pizzas sold, but since it happened at the same time, it was a tie.

"We did it girls! We sold 100 pizzas!" Solana exclaimed as they high-hoofed each other, "So...did you get you cutie marks?" Right away, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo quickly turned to look at their flanks. Unfortunately, they didn't receive their cutie marks. "I'm sorry," Solana said as she looked down disappointed that her idea wasn't a success. Apple Bloom softly put her right hoof on Solana's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," Apple Bloom replied, "Even though we didn't get out cutie marks, I still had making pizzas with you." Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded their heads in agreement. At that moment, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walked over to them.

"It's not over yet!" Diamond Tiara exclaimed, "The first one to 200 pizzas sold wins!"

"Sorry Diamond Tiara, but we're closing up CMC Pizza for good. You can keep going on if you want to," Solana replied as she was helping her friends take down their stand. In response, Diamond Tiara yelled as she quickly ran to her stand and furiously tore it down.

"You four are such losers!" Diamond Tiara yelled as she stomped away angrily and was soon followed by Silver Spoon. Solana and the others simply laughed at Diamond Tiara's response of being told they didn't want to compete against her anymore. In the end, even though Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo didn't get their cutie marks, they still enjoyed hanging out with Solana, and had fun making pizzas in the process. However, since both CMC Pizza and Pizza Perfection had constantly changed the ingredients in their pizza, it turns out along the way they accidently put the wrong type of ingredients together, and caused everyone who ate their pizzas to get very sick, including Flareon, Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. It may have been a good thing after all that both stands closed when they did.


	23. Toddler Trouble

Chapter 23  
Toddler Trouble

It was a calm, peaceful afternoon in Ponyville. There was not a single cloud in the sky as the sun continued to warm the town. However, calm and peaceful wouldn't describe Rarity right now as she was running as fast as possible through Ponyville.

"I'm late...I'm so late!" Rarity exclaimed, "I can't let Princess Celestia and Princess Luna down! Why did I let myself get so distracted by my work?!" It turns out, Flareon and Twilight were having their friends, including Celestia and Luna, over for a cook-out. As Rarity was nearing Golden Oak Library, she was suddenly stopped by a particular-looking dragon behind a stand. He had a large mustache, was wearing a patched-up suit, and sunglass. However, it was actually Discord in disguise, but Rarity didn't notice it was him as she walked up to his stand called 'Amazing Commodities'.

"You there! Miss!" Discord exclaimed, "Step right up! Step right up! Take a look at my goods! Does anything interest you?" As Rarity looked at the case in front of her, she spotted a purple amulet necklace. After Rarity pointed towards it, a smile appeared on Discord's face. "Ah...you have very good tastes. This is a one of a kind amulet necklace that was designed by the most prestige crafters in Equestria!"

"How much is it?" Rarity asked.

"I'll tell you what," Discord replied, "It's free of charge...if...you give me a kiss on my cheek." Discord then moved his head towards Rarity as he pointed to his right cheek. At first Rarity was completely taken aback, but considering how badly she wanted it, and how she was running late for the cook-out, Rarity was left with no other choice as she reluctantly leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek. Immediately, Discord began to blush as he waved his right claw at her.

"Oh Madame! I do declare!" Discord exclaimed. He then gave Rarity the necklace who immediately put it on.

"How do I look?" Rarity said as she flaunted her mane while showing of the amulet necklace around her neck.

"Absolutely beautiful!" Discord replied, "I guarantee you will be the envy of all your friends! You could say that amulet will put a spell on them!" At that moment, a mischievous smirk appeared on his face, but Rarity didn't seem to notice as she was busy admiring her neck necklace. Unfortunately, Rarity quickly remembered what she was doing a few minutes before.

"That's right! I'm late!" Rarity said as she took off towards Golden Oak Library again. However, since she was in such a rush, Rarity didn't notice that the amulet on her necklace began to glow an ominous bright purple for a second before it stopped. Meanwhile, both the stand and Discord had completely vanished. Eventually, Rarity made it to Golden Oak Library, and walked inside to see the party already in full-swing.

"Oh Rarity! You finally made it!" Twilight said as she and Rainbow Dash walked over to her, "Flareon and Luna are preparing the food. They'll be done soon. Spike and Solana went to Sugarcube Corner to get the cake. By the way, I love your new necklace!"

"What took you so long?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are here! How could you be late?!"

"Well...excuse me!" Rarity replied, "Unlike you, some of us actually have work we need to finish!" As Rarity and Rainbow Dash began to argue, Celestia walked over to them.

"It's quite alright Rainbow Dash," Celestia said as she smiled, "I'm just happy Rarity was able to make it." At moment, her eyes widened in shock as she spotted the amulet necklace Rarity was wearing. "Oh no! Rarity! That amulet! You need to get rid of it right away! Hurry!" Unfortunately, Celestia's plea was soon interrupted by the amulet, which suddenly glowed even brighter than before, and engulfed the entire room in purple light. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Flareon was helping Luna make the food for the cook-out. Luna was preparing the salad, while Flareon was making the sandwiches and drinks.

"Flareon, can you please go to the marketplace in town and get more tomatoes and dressing? We're all out," Luna said.

"Sure," Flareon replied as he walked out of the kitchen, "Ok everyone...I'm going out to get some tomatoes and salad dressing. I'll be back in a couple of minutes." Flareon then opened the door as he walked outside and closed it behind him. Five seconds later, Flareon slammed open the door and quickly looked around at the room at everyone. Flareon was so preoccupied that he didn't immediately noticed what had happened. Everyone had turned into babies, including Princess Celestia. "Uh...Luna?" Flareon said as he still couldn't believe his eyes, "I think we have problem here." As Luna walked into the room, she nearly jumped back in surprise.

"Sister!" Luna yelled as she ran up to Celestia who was crawling on the floor. She then looked around the room at all the babies. "Twilight? Everyone? Flareon what happened here?!" As they tried to figure out how this all happened, Flareon suddenly spotted baby Rarity, who was sucking on the amulet she was wearing. Flareon then took the suspicious necklace from her. Unfortunately, Rarity began to cry, so Flareon had to give her a diamond swan from a small table near the window. Immediately, Rarity stopped crying and began to suck on the swam as she smiled happily. As Flareon levitated the amulet necklace in front of him, he attempted to touch it, but his hoof was swatted away by Luna.

"Don't touch that!" Luna exclaimed as she used her magic to obtain a glass jar from the kitchen and put the amulet inside it. She quickly sealed the jar lid tightly at set it down on the coffee table. Luna then flew towards the bookshelf and began to frantically search it. A few seconds later, Luna found the book she was looking for called 'Cursed Artifacts'. After Luna flew back down, she set the book down on the table, near amulet in the jar, and quickly began to look thought the book, until she stopped on a page that was showing a particular-looking amulet. It looked exactly like the amulet in the jar. Right away, Luna began to read the description about the amulet aloud for Flareon, who was bombarding her with questions. "Amulet of Chaos: A purple amulet created by Discord to cause chaos and mischief. The amulet turns on once is it placed on the victim's neck and activates one minute later, however, the result from the spell may vary. The effect cannot be undone and lasts for 24 hours." After Luna was done reading, she slowly closed the book, and put it back on the bookshelf.

"So...Discord must have somehow tricked Rarity into getting it," Flareon said, "You're kidding me right? 24 hours? How are we supposed to care take of seven babies?!" Unfortunately, Luna didn't have time to respond as all the babies had gone completely out of control. Flareon and Luna then rushed to calm everyone down. At that moment, the front door opened and Solana and Spike appeared. They were carrying the cake between them.

"We got the cake!" Spike exclaimed. However, instead of a warm welcome, they were met by the total chaos that had ensued inside the house as Flareon and Luna were frantically flying around the room, trying to corral all the babies. Suddenly, Flareon spotted a flabbergasted Solana and Spike.

"Oh thank goodness you guys are here!" Flareon exclaimed as he was holding Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy in his hooves. They were all crying. "Me and Luna could really use your help with this!" Soon after, Solana and Spike walked backwards outside, and closed the door. Flareon then quickly flew to the door and stuck his head outside. "They're gone! I can't believe it! Those bastards!" Flareon yelled as he furiously slammed the door shut. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to worry about Solana and Spike's betrayal as he returned to helping Luna. Eventually, they were able to gather all seven babies and put them inside a playpen Flareon had got from the basement. As Flareon and Luna let of a sigh of relief, they quickly covered their noses with their hooves due to a very strong smell protruding from the pen. It was coming from the babies' diapers. Right away, Flareon knew what this meant and desperately tried to get out of it.

"Well...would you look at the time!" Flareon said as he walked awkwardly towards the door, "Um...how about you take care of this while I go find Solana and Spike?" Sadly for him, Luna used her magic to bring Flareon away from the door, back to where she was standing.

"Oh no you don't!" Luna exclaimed, "We're in this together. It's our job to take care of everyone until they turn back to normal. If you don't help me, I'll haunt your dreams until you breathe your last breath!" Soon after, Flareon reluctantly helped Luna change everyone's diapers. He took Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, and she took Celestia, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. You couldn't imagine how awkward it was for them to change their wife's and older sister's diapers. It was all the more reason for them to hate Discord even more than they already did.

I swear...if I ever see Discord, I will put him through the worst hell possible for what he did to my sister!" Luna exclaimed as she finished changing Celestia's diaper.

"You and me both," Flareon said as he put Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack back inside the playpen with the others. Throughout the rest of the day, Flareon and Luna fed everyone, gave them baths, changed their diapers again, and played with them. The two hardest babies to take care of was Twilight and Celestia since they tried to use magic which forced Flareon and Luna to constantly fix their mistakes. Rainbow Dash and Applejack kept fighting with each other, just like their older selves did. Flareon lost track of how many times they had to separate them. Rarity simply refused to let them take away the diamond swan from her because when they did, she would start crying, but would stop when they gave it back. Later on at night, Flareon gathered some wood and built seven cribs, while Luna gathered some pillows and blankets. Soon after, they set everyone inside the cribs, and put the covers over them. It didn't take long before the babies to fall asleep. Right away, Flareon and Luna fell onto the couch as they were completely exhausted from taking care of seven babies. Solana and Spike still hadn't returned yet. A few seconds later, Flareon and Luna feel asleep on the couch. The next day, the sun shinned through the windows signaling the start of a brand new morning. The spell finally worn off as everyone had finally returned to normal. As Rainbow Dash woke up, she was trying to figure out why she was inside a crib.

"What the heck happened yesterday?" Rainbow Dash muttered as she rubbed his eyes. Soon after, everyone also began to wake up and was thinking the same thing. As they got out of their cribs, Twilight walked over to where Flareon and Luna were sleeping, and woke them up. Immediately, Flareon and Luna hugged Twilight and Celestia.

"Oh thank god you're back to normal!" Flareon exclaimed as he continued to hug a baffled Twilight.

"Sister!" Luna yelled as she put her hooves around Celestia, who had the same confused look on her face as Twilight did. A few seconds later, Flareon and Luna began explain to everyone what had happened. After they were done, Rarity suddenly spit on the floor. She then stuck out her tongue and began to furiously rub it.

"Ugh...I kissed him. I can't believe I kissed him!" Rarity exclaimed as she ran into the bathroom and frantically began to wash out her mouth. Everyone quickly began to laugh in response to Rarity's hilarious reaction. At that moment, the front door opened as Solana and Spike finally appeared, along with the cake, after they had been gone for the last 24 hours. They tried their best to avoid looking at the angry faces of Flareon and Luna. It turns out Solana and Spike had been hiding at Sugarcube Corner.

"Sorry about yesterday, but hey, we still got the cake!" Spike said as he and Solana held up the cake. At that moment, Flareon and Luna looked at each other and nodded their heads slowly in agreement to something. Immediately, they both used their magic to lift up the cake and dropped it down on the heads of Solana and Spike. As they rubbed the cake off their eyes, Flareon and Luna walked over to them and they both each wiped off a piece of the cake from Solana and Spike. Flareon and Luna quickly smiled in response as they licked the cake off their hooves. Soon after, Twilight and Celestia decided to continue the party from where they left off yesterday. This time however, the party wasn't interrupted by a spell from a cursed amulet. Luckily for everyone, the second attempt was a complete success as the party continued on without a hitch. Later on, as everyone began to leave, Flareon gave Princess Celestia the jar containing the Amulet of Chaos. As she put the jar in her bag, Celestia told Flareon and Twilight she was going to study it in an effort to learn more about Discord's magic. Celestia began to laugh after Flareon and Princess Luna told her they didn't want anything more to do with that amulet as they had already experienced its' effects themselves.


	24. Ice Breakers

Chapter 24  
Ice Breakers

Hockey is a sport where two teams made of six players fight over a black puck while they skate on ice holding sticks that are curved at the end. It is a game that requires, speed, agility, concentration, endurance, and strength. It also requires you to stand on two legs, not four. Do you remember how after the baseball game that featured the Phoenix Flames and the Rainbow Flyers, Rainbow Dash wanted to have a rematch against Flareon one day? It turns out a hockey game was the perfect answer. It all began one afternoon at the Ponyville Ice-Skating Rink. Flareon and Twilight decided to bring their friends over to hang out. Everyone was having a great time as they skated around the rink, however, not much could be said for Twilight as she was struggling just to keep her balance.

"Twilight...you're joking right?" Flareon asked as he assisted her back up, "No one ever taught you how to ice skate?"

"No," Twilight muttered as she continued to slide all over the place, "When I was little, I was always reading...all the time. I never really had anytime for, you know...other activities." As Twilight fell down for the hundredth time, Flareon let out sigh as he went to help her back up again. Eventually, after many failed attempts, Twilight gave up and sat down at a table. Soon after, Rainbow Dash and Applejack skated to Flareon, who was still looking at a frustrated Twilight.

"What's so hard about ice skating?" Rainbow Dash asked, "What...does she have four left hooves or something?" As she laughed, Applejack hit Rainbow Dash on her shoulder.

"Oh hush Rainbow Dash," Applejack replied, "Just because Twilight has a hard time skating doesn't mean we should laugher at her. I actually remember that you had a hard time learning how to ice skate when you started out." As Applejack and Rainbow Dash began to argue, Flareon was hit with an idea.

"Hey! Have you two ever played hockey?" Flareon asked.

"Hockey? What is that?" Applejack replied.

"Oh man! It's so much fun!" Flareon exclaimed, "If I taught you how to play, we could play an exhibition game right here! It would be perfect!" At that moment, Rainbow Dash's eyes began to glow in anticipation.

"Heck yeah! This could be our rematch that you promised to after the baseball game we played!" Rainbow Dash replied. Soon after, she and Flareon shared a brohoof in agreement for Flareon teaching them how to play hockey so they could have a rematch. Similar to before, Flareon would take care of the equipment, while he sent Rainbow Dash to gather everyone who wanted to learn hockey and meet him back at the ice-skating rink tomorrow morning at 9am. The next day, Rainbow Dash was seen bringing Shining Armor, Cadance, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Derpy. All in all, they had exactly 12 ponies total, which was absolutely perfect since both teams would have six players. Right away, Flareon moved the mobile blackboard near him and began to teach everyone the game of hockey. Flareon went through the basic, advanced, expert, and pretty much everything he knew about hockey. After Flareon was done, he put on his ice skating shoes, however, Flareon had only put them on his legs, not his arms. He soon took to the ice and began to skate on his hind legs.

"Since this is a human sport, I'm taking it you guys shouldn't be shocked to know we will be playing hockey like humans right?" Flareon asked, but he didn't have to worry as everyone already knew it was going to be like this since they did stand on their hind legs when they batted in the baseball game. Soon after, everyone took to the ice and began to skate on their hind legs too, however, there was one pony who hadn't joined them yet. "Come on Twilight!" Flareon yelled, "You said you wanted to play hockey remember?" A few second later, Twilight put on her skates and reluctantly joined them, but as she was getting into the rink, Twilight tripped on fell on her face. Ignoring the whispering behind him, Flareon rushed to help Twilight back up. "Don't worry Twilight, I'm going to teach you how to skate and play hockey no matter what! As your loyal husband, I promise I will not let you down." As he was assisting her, Twilight gave him a thank you smile. Later on, everyone had successfully learned how to skate on their hind legs, while all Twilight learned is what ice tasted like as her face had hit it so many times that Flareon lost count. Since it was getting late, Flareon told them they would practice playing hockey tomorrow. As everyone was leaving, he saw Twilight sulking on a bench. He then sat down near Twilight and asked her what was wrong.

"Everyone has already learned to skate on their back legs while I can't even skate on my four legs," Twilight muttered. She then turned to a concerned Flareon. "Maybe it would be best if I just gave up and let someone else take my place." Suddenly, Twilight felt something touch her shoulder. It was Flareon's right hoof. When Twilight saw his face, she noticed he was smiling at her. Soon after, Flareon put back on his skates, went onto the ice, and signaled Twilight to come join him.

"How about I give you some personal one-on-one skating lessons?" Flareon asked as Twilight was eagerly putting on her skates, "It'll be just you and me. I promise I will turn you into a skating pro in no time!" In response, Twilight gave him a confident smile as she quickly joined him on the ice rink. It could have been stage fright or the fact she was nervous learning to ice skate in front of others, but now that they were alone, Twilight was finding it very easy to skate. It only took a couple of minutes before Twilight was able to skate on all four legs. Soon after, Twilight attempted learning to skate on two legs and just like before, she was able to master skating on her hind legs in no time at all.

I did it Flareon! I did it!" Twilight exclaimed as she flung herself into his hooves, "Thank you...so much!" A couple of minutes later, Flareon and Twilight took their time skating together around the rink before they finally called it a day and went back home to rest. The next day, everyone returned to the ice rink to find Flareon with a bunch of supplies lying near him such as hockey sticks, pucks, gloves, including hockey masks and pads for the goalie.

"First off...both teams need to have a goalie, so who wants it?" Flareon asked. Soon after, Applejack, and to their surprise Rarity, raised their right hoofs in the air. "Ok...good, now we need to decided on the teams. Of course I'll be the captain of my team and Rainbow Dash will be the captain of her team. My team will be called the Red Barons and Rainbow Dash's team will be called the Blue Barons." A few minutes later, everyone successfully split into two teams. The Red Barons would consist of Flareon as the center, Twilight and Fluttershy as the right and left wings, Shining Amor and Princess Luna as the right and left defenseman, and Applejack as the goalie. The Blue Blazers would consist of Rainbow Dash as the center, Pinkie Pie and Derpy as the right and left wings, Princess Celestia and Cadance as the right and left defenseman, and Rarity as the goalie. "Alright...nice! Things are definitely looking pretty good so far," Flareon said as he picked up his stick and skated onto the rink, "I already set up the nets, so why don't we have a practice game?" Later on, after nearly six hours of practice, Flareon smiled as he looked at everyone's confident faces. "Ok...so that's it for practicing. I think you guys are ready for a real full-length hockey game!" Immediately, everyone began to cheer in anticipation for the first ever hockey game played in Equestria. "The game will be here at 1pm tomorrow afternoon. So go home and get some rest. Trust me...you're gonna need it for all the awesome hockey action for tomorrow!" As everyone began to exit the ice rink, Flareon could hear them whispering loudly to each other. However, instead of leavening with them, Twilight decided to help Flareon put the equipment away, and soon after, they left to go back home and get some well-deserved rest for the big hockey game. The following afternoon, Flareon was surprised to find out everyone had arrived at the ice-skating rink earlier than expected, but considering it was the first ever hockey game played in Equestria, it wasn't that surprising. Right away, everyone got their gear on as Flareon and Twilight set up the goals. A good-sized crowd was already beginning to form along the edges of the rink after they had heard another human game was going to be played. Soon after, everyone got onto the ice as the hockey game featuring the Red Barons vs the Blue Blazers was about to begin. Cheerilee was in charge of keeping score as she was sitting at a table with a scorecard by her. On another note, Flareon decided it would be better when both teams scored, a loud buzzer noise would play after it happened since both teams were technically the home team. Also, Flareon loved hearing that buzzer noise every time a home team scored, it was one of the best things about hockey. As everyone got into their positions, Flareon and Rainbow Dash shared a brohoof in agreement to the start of the game. Flareon then brought a puck over to him from the table and a second later, dropped it onto the ground as he and Rainbow Dash fought over it. In the end, she was able to hit it over to his team's side. In response, the crowd cheered as the first ever hockey game got into full-swing. During the 1st period, both teams were playing very good defense as neither goalie seemed to budge. At 5:08, Flareon passed the puck to Fluttershy, who almost scored a goal, but Rarity's reflexes were too quick as she blocked the puck from entering her goal. At 14:44, Rainbow Dash was able to get past Shining Armor and hit a speed shot towards Applejack, who made a spectacular save. At 19:23, Twilight passed the puck to Flareon, who hit a monstrous shot towards Rarity, but she was able to block another attempt at a score. As the first period ended, the Red Barons and Blue Blazers were tied at 0-0. Both teams then went to their benches and took a break.

"Keep the up good work!" Cheerilee exclaimed. As both teams were resting, Flareon saw Rainbow Dash whispering something into Rarity's ear. He then turned to his team and gave them a pep talk.

"Alright everyone, we're tied and have two periods left to win this game. Shining Amor, Luna, Applejack...you two are doing a fantastic job on defense! Same goes for Twilight and Fluttershy. You're all playing amazing!" Flareon exclaimed as everyone got together, put their hooves together, and quickly raised them up high as they let out a cheer. Rainbow Dash's team did the same. Soon after, both teams got back onto the ice as the second period was underway. At 3:43, the first goal was scored as Rainbow Dash hit a laser shot towards Applejack, who unfortunately, wasn't able to block it in time. Rainbow Dash then made a victory lap around the ice rink as the loud buzzer echoed throughout the arena. The crowd cheered loudly as Cheerilee flipped the scored card for the Blue Blazers as they now lead the Red Barons 1-0. At 8:12, Shining Armor managed to steal the puck from Rainbow Dash, and quickly took a shot at Rarity, but once again, she was able to make another amazing save. At 10:00, Flareon managed to escape double coverage and passed the puck towards Twilight. She hit the puck as hard as possible towards Rarity, who was able to block the score attempt. At 13:55, Pinkie Pie managed to steal the puck from Flareon and quickly took a shot at the Red Baron's goalie. Applejack tried her best, but in the end, wasn't able to keep the puck from getting past her. Once again, the loud buzzer sounded as another goal was scored. As the crowd cheered again, Cheerilee smiled as she flipped the scored card for the Blue Blazers as they now lead the Red Barons 2-0 half-way through the second period. At 17:17, Rainbow Dash once again managed to score on Applejack. As the crowd cheered, Cheerilee flipped the score card for the Blue Blazers as they now lead the Red Barons 3-0. Later on, the second period finally came to an end. As both teams took another break, Flareon could see Rainbow Dash's side celebrating. When he turned to look at his team, Flareon could see the disappointed look on their faces.

"Sorry y'all," Applejack muttered, "It's my fault those goals were scored."

"Don't blame yourself," Flareon replied, "If there's going to be any blame...it's on me." Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face. "But it's not over yet! The problem is we're too obvious with our scoring tactics. We need to be a little bit more creative so that Rarity won't be able to predict and block our shots." He then put his right hoof in the middle of the group. "Now...who's with me?" Right away, everyone nodded their heads in agreement. They quickly put their hooves together and let out a cheer as they raised them high into the air. Soon after, they headed back on the ice as the third period got underway. Thanks to Flareon's plan, they managed to finally score on Rarity as Twilight fake passed to Fluttershy and then passed to Flareon, who was able to get the first score at 1:18 as the Red Barons were now down 1-3. As Cheerilee changed the score, the crowd cheered as Flareon took a victory lap while the loud buzzer sounded off. At 2:22, the Red Barons managed to score again as Flareon and Fluttershy kept passing the puck between them until Flareon finally passed it to Twilight, who was able to score a goal on a baffled Rarity. Now the Red Barons were only down by one goal. Later on, at 19:55, Flareon managed to score the tying goal after Twilight had snuck behind Rarity with the puck and quickly passed it to Flareon before Rarity was able to notice what had happened. Through impossible odds, the Red Barons had managed to erase a 3-goal deficit and tied the game within just one period, but it wasn't over yet because they now had to play in overtime. As everyone took a break again, the mood on both sides had completely swapped. The Red Barons were in high spirits while the Blue Blazers were sulking. Similar to what Flareon did before, Rainbow Dash managed to lift her team's confidence after a roaring pep talk. Soon after, the crowd cheered again as book teams took to the ice as the 5-minute overtime period started. Amazingly, neither team was able to score which meant that this game would have to be settled in a shootout. The Red Barons would send Shining Armor, Princess Luna, and Flareon, while the Blue Blazers sent out Pinkie Pie, Cadance, and Rainbow Dash. A couple of minutes later, neither Shining Armor, Luna, Pinkie Pie or Cadance weren't able to score, so it was now up to Flareon and Rainbow Dash. The tension in the rink was so tight that a pin drop could easily be heard throughout the entire arena. Soon after, Rainbow Dash took her turn and on her last shot, was able score a goal on Applejack, who was completely fatigued at that point. As Rainbow Dash moved aside, it was now Flareon's turn. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to land a goal within his three shot attempts as the Blue Blazers defeated the Red Barons in a shootout. Immediately, the crowd burst into cheering as Rainbow Dash's teammates skated onto the rink and hugged their captain. As they were throwing Rainbow Dash high into the air, Flareon went and joined the rest of his team on the bench, who were watching the other team celebrate. "Sorry everyone," Flareon muttered, "Looks like we lost." Twilight then walked over and put her right hoof softly on his shoulder as she smiled.

"It's ok...I still had a great time!" Twilight exclaimed as his team nodded in agreement. Suddenly, Flareon felt another hoof touch his shoulder. When he turned around, Flareon saw Rainbow Dash standing near him. She then held out her right hoof as she smiled happily.

"Great game Flareon!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Yeah, great game Rainbow Dash. You guys sure played hard," Flareon replied as they shook hooves. The crowd of ponies that had watched the game now begun to leave the ice rink, but not before they had given both the Red Barons and the Blue Blazers a roaring round of applause for a well-played game. Later on, both teams had taken off their gear and were talking about the details of the game they had just played. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash stood up as an idea had popped into her head.

"Hey! How about we all go out to eat and celebrate?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I mean...we did after all just complete the first ever hockey game in Equestria history!"

"You know what...I could go for some food right now. I'm starving!" Flareon replied as he got up. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement as they quickly followed Rainbow Dash outside. Just before Flareon left with them, he looked back in the ice-skating rink and smiled. A few seconds later, he turned around and ran to catch up to his friends. They would have to make the best of their celebration as the final battle against Alexei was slowly drawing near.


	25. The Cost Of Victory

Chapter 25  
The Cost Of Victory

It has now been exactly five years since Alexei was revived. Throughout the years, not only has Flareon dealt with Discord on many occasions, but he was able to defeat Maximus, Grim, and Draco, Alexei's strongest shadow dragons. Not to mention, Flareon has gained new powers such as the Fire Tornado/Fire Hurricane, Fire Shuriken/Ultimate Fire Shuriken, and Flame God Mode. As badly as Alexei had wanted to finish taking over Equestria when he was first resurrected, Alexei was able to wait patiently for those five years until he regained all of his power, but Alexei also wanted Flareon to get stronger during that time so that he could enjoy killing him. It was all because Alexei never was able to kill Nova back then and he saw Flareon as another way of getting revenge. It all begin during another afternoon in Death Valley. Alexei was looking at the landscape holding his claws behind his back, while Discord was resting in the air. Suddenly, a smirk appeared on Alexei's face as he let of a loud roar that violently shook the entire cavern and caused the ravens nearby to fly in the sky. Right away, Discord landed on the ground and ran over to Alexei's side.

"My lord!" Discord exclaimed as he looked at Alexei's excited face, "Don't tell me...you got your power back!"

"Five years Discord...five years," Alexei replied as he put his right claw softly on Discord's shoulder, "I've waited these five years very patiently for this moment. These ponies...living their calm, peaceful, carefree lives...it has been long overdue for them to be reminded of the darkness...the dark, cold, savage darkness. Discord...It is finally time for me to take back this world, but first, I need to completely resurrect my army of shadow dragons." As he let out a chuckle, Alexei turned around and walked out of the cavern, along with Discord who eagerly followed behind him. Eventually, Alexei stopped at a large clearing, the same clearing where he revived Draco. Alexei then gathered power in both of his claws, and a few second later, he shot the energy at the ground, which quickly covered the entire area in black flames. After the flames dispersed, 10,000 shadow dragons, which contained 5,000 small winged dragons and 5,000 big wingless dragons, were seen standing before Alexei. Immediately, they all bowed before him.

"Lord Alexei!" the dragons exclaimed, "We are at your command!"

"My lord...only 10,000? How come you didn't revive all 100,000?" Discord asked.

"I need the rest of my power to fight against Flareon," Alexei replied, "By now, I'm sure he is very strong...probably stronger than Nova was. Not to mention...I have another surprise for Flareon. Let's just say it is something that far surpasses even Draco as the strongest shadow creature I've ever created! Also...I hardly doubt it will take more than 10,000 dragons to overtake Canterlot with the pathetic excuse for an army Princess Celestia currently has. With Flareon fighting against me, you dealing with his friends, and Celestia and Luna trying to help the Canterlot residents escape to safety, it will be very easy for my army to defeat whatever resistance they have trying to protect the capital." Alexei then turned to face his army and began to give a speech. "It is time! It is finally time to take back Equestria! It has been 10,000 years since this world has known darkness. I have waited patiently during these five years after I was revived so that I may receive what I have so long desired...complete domination of Equestria!" Alexei said as he paused for a moment so that the dragons could cheer, "I have a very important task for you all to carry out for me. I want you to travel to Canterlot and destroy the city as best you can so that I may rebuilt it in my vision. Kill whoever stands in your way and leave no survivors!" As the dragon army cheered loudly, they turned around, and hastily made way for Canterlot. A few seconds later, Alexei raised his right claw high into the air and shot a beam of dark energy upwards into the sky. Immediately, dark clouds began to form around the point of impact, and quickly began to spread like wildfire. "I hope you're ready Equestria!" Alexei yelled as he laughed maniacally, "For the return of the Dark Ages!" After he was done laughing, Alexei smiled as he turned to face Discord. "You know what you have to do Discord. I take it Flareon's friends won't be a problem for you...will they?" In response, Discord tried hard to hold back his laughter.

"You think six little girls can stand up against the King of Chaos and Mischief? It'll be a piece of cake Lord Alexei!" Discord replied. After Alexei gave him a confident nod, Discord snapped his fingers and vanished. Alexei then looked upwards at the dark clouds that were quickly spreading throughout the entire sky.

"I hope you're ready Flareon," Alexei muttered, "Once I kill you, this world will be mine, and no one will be able to stop me." Soon after, Alexei smiled as black flames suddenly emitted from his body, and a second later, he disappeared. Later on in Canterlot Castle, Celestia and Luna were walking through a hallway when Celestia suddenly spotted dark ominous clouds heading towards the city.

"Sister?" Luna asked Celestia, who was frozen in fear, "Is something wrong?"

"Luna!" Celestia exclaimed, "Alert the citizens in Canterlot to leave the city at once! Meanwhile, I'm going to contact Flareon and Twilight. I feared this day would come. Alexei has finally regained all of his power. We don't have anytime to waste!" Right away, Luna ran off to alert the citizens, while Celestia went to send a letter to Flareon and Twilight. A couple of hours later, everything was going just as Alexei had predicted. Celestia and Luna helped the citizens in Canterlot, including Ponyville and Cloudsdale, escape to safety in Fillydelphia. Princess Celestia had Shinning Armor and Cadance lead the royal guards to confront Alexei's army and keep them from entering Canterlot. Meanwhile, Twilight and her friends, along with the Elements of Harmony, to go after Discord. Last but not least, Flareon was set to finally face against Alexei just as the prophecy foretold. After Flareon hugged Twilight wishing her good luck, he could only watch as they made haste to where Celestia said Discord had been spotted. After Twilight and his friends were out of sight, Flareon flew into the air and quickly headed to where Luna said Alexei was waiting for him. A few minutes later, Flareon found Alexei standing in a clearing. As Flareon landed back on the ground, Alexei simply smiled at him.

"Well, well, well...if it isn't Flareon, the chosen one," Alexei said, "I take it after these five years you've grown stronger...yes?" Flareon didn't reply. Instead, he began to run at Alexei, but Flareon was stopped when Alexei held out his right claw. "Oh come now...don't you want to see the surprise I have for you?" At that moment, Alexei gathered power in his right claw and then shot it at the ground. After the flames dispersed, Flareon's eyes widened in shock. It was almost too impossible to believe. What was standing before him was none other than himself. However, this Flareon's coat was dark black, while his mane, tail, and the flame designs on his hooves were red.

"What...who are you?!" Flareon exclaimed. The other Flareon began to laugh in response to his outburst.

"Who am I? I think you already know the answer to that," he replied as a smirk appeared across his face, "I'm you." Even still, Flareon couldn't believe it. How was this pony him? Suddenly, Alexei began to speak again.

"I'm proud to present the strongest shadow creature I've ever created...Dark Flareon. In terms of raw power, he is easily stronger than Maximus, Grim, and Draco ever was," Alexei said, "Do you remember when we first met Flareon? It was after I grabbed you in my claw. I sensed this powerful dark hatred deep inside your heart. It was nothing like I've ever felt before. It desperately wanted to come out. It wanted to be free from its cage you locked it in. For someone called the chosen one, I have to say, the level of hatred you possessed almost rivaled mine." As Alexei began to laugh, Flareon looked at the ground and got lost in thought. There was no way around Alexei's words. He was right. Back when Flareon was a human, he had experienced a lot of heartbreak, betrayal, and loneliness. As a result, Flareon had built up a large amount of hatred inside his heart. Even though Flareon tried to lock that hatred away, it was always there, waiting for its chance. As Alexei looked at a troubled Flareon, he smiled in response to seeing him completely baffled. Alexi then turned around and walked past both of them towards a nearby rock structure as waved his right claw nonchalantly at Dark Flareon. "Have as much fun with him as you want. Just try to leave Flareon breathing so I can finish him off." Alexei then sat down on the rock structure and got comfortable, like an eager person waiting for a movie to begin. It wasn't until Dark Flareon began to speak again that Flareon was able to snap out of his trance.

"Seriously...all this chosen one stuff. How lame is it really? Chosen one this, chosen one that, how come they can't do anything themselves? Always treating me like a tool...just like before. It doesn't matter whether I'm a human or a pony. I always let myself be used. I'm so worthless and pathetic. Everywhere I go, they are always giving me that look, that you're-inferior-to-us look. They have and always will think of me as something that they can use for their own purposes. Once they don't need me anymore, they will toss me aside like the piece of garbage. I know deep down inside, once I defeat Alexei, they won't need me around anymore. Also...does Twilight really think she's good enough to be with me? Twilight never has loved me. It's just been fake love this entire time. It was all just a ploy for her to gain the popularity she has always desired. I know that Twilight will dump me as soon as she gets the chance, but who cares? I'd be grateful to be rid of her and that pathetic excuse for a daughter. The next Princess of Equestria? Don't make me laugh!" As Dark Flareon laughed manically, he looked at Flareon, expecting him to yell out angrily or attack in response to his words. However, Flareon simply looked at Dark Flareon with absolutely no hatred at all towards him, even with what he had just said.

"I can't disagree that you're me or how that is how I really felt," Flareon replied, "However...that was before. Throughout the past couple years, I've learned the true value of friendship. I thank Twilight, Solana, Spike, and my friends for helping me. Without them, I would still be you. That lonely, scared, and troubled person who was always angry at everyone. However...I'm different now. You're just a shell of my former self." At that moment, Flareon had to dodge a black fireball that Dark Flareon had suddenly shot at him. He was seething with fury.

"Don't you dare talk down to me like that!" Dark Flareon yelled, "You can't fool me. I know all that friendship stuff is just lies and more lies. I don't care about Alexei said...screw him! I'm going to kill you myself!" Soon after, Dark Flareon flew high into the air and was quickly followed by Flareon. Eventually, Dark Flareon stopped and turned to face him. After a heated staring contest, they both started to charge up their fire magic, and then fired a huge fireball towards each other. The fireballs quickly collided as a swirl of red and black fire was seen exploding from the point of impact. The battle between Flareon and Dark Flareon had now begun. A couple of minutes later, Flareon and Dark Flareon were seen colliding back and forth in mid-air, like two speeding bullets ricocheting off each other. Flareon then stopped and created a Fire Tornado and kicked it towards Dark Flareon, who also did the same thing. Immediately, both tornados collided as a combination of red and black fire erupted in a blazing inferno. Soon after, two fire shurikens collided together as a huge red and black dome of fire exploded and sent a massive shockwave flying through the area. No matter what neither Flareon or Dark Flareon did, the other was able to counter their attack, blow by blow. However, it was Dark Flareon who was getting frustrated. As hard as he tried, Dark Flareon couldn't get Flareon to admit defeat, even though Flareon couldn't beat him.

"Why do you keep trying?" Dark Flareon asked, "I'm clearly stronger than you, but you won't give up. I don't get it! Why won't you give up?!"

"I told you before," Flareon replied, "I have friends that believe in me. They are counting on me and I'm not going to let them down. They are what gives me my power. That is something you, my old self, wouldn't understand." In response, Dark Flareon became more angry. He just couldn't comprehend the meaning of Flareon's words.

"You think I care? You think I care?! Friendship? Love? Hope? All that is just fake power you're making up. You can't beat me and you know it! I'm stronger than you!" Dark Flareon yelled as he created and fired off a Dark Fire Shuriken towards Flareon. However, a smile began to appear on Flareon's face.

"No...you're wrong," Flareon muttered as he made a Fire Shuriken and sent it flying towards the Dark Flareon. Amazingly, the Fire Shuriken tore right through the Dark Fire Shuriken and hit Dark Flareon point-blank in the chest before he had time to react. Dark Flareon let out a loud scream of pain as he disappeared inside a giant dome of vicious blazing fire. A few minutes later, the fire finally dispersed. Unfortunately, Dark Flareon didn't die from the attack as he was still seen flying in the air. However, he was brutally injured as most of his body had been burnt off due to the extreme heat of the fire. Flareon was surprised to see Dark Flareon was still able to keep flight.

"Why...do...you...keep...fighting?" Dark Flareon asked weakly, "Where does your power come from?"

"I will say this one more time," Flareon replied, "My friends are my power. They are what give me my strength. As long as I have my friends, I will never give up, no matter how badly I get beat down, I will keep getting right back up and continue on fighting. That is the true meaning of friendship." Dark Flareon's eyes widened in shock as he still couldn't understand what Flareon was talking about. No matter how hard Dark Flareon tried, he couldn't grasp the meaning of friendship. Dark Flareon then put his hooves over his head as if he was in pain, when suddenly, black flames began to emit from his body.

"Shut up!" Dark Flareon exclaimed as he was slowly being engulfed in black fire, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I'll show you...what true power really is!" Soon after, Dark Flareon disappeared inside a ball of black fire, and five seconds later, it exploded. In response, Flareon had to put his right hoof over his face to shield himself from the blast. When Flareon put his hoof down, he couldn't believe his eyes. Dark Flareon had gone into Dark Flame God Mode. Flareon was left with no other choice and went into Flame God Mode. It turns out this battle was just getting started.

"I'm going to show you that hatred conquers over your pitiful friendship!" Dark Flareon exclaimed as he fired off a beam of darkness towards Flareon. Immediately, Flareon fired off a beam of fire to counter Dark Flareon's attack. As both beams collided, both ponies were quickly engulfed in a bright light as a massive shockwave erupted from the point of impact. Meanwhile, in another location somewhere far away, Twilight and her friends were still fighting against Discord. Thanks to the Elements of Harmony, Twilight and her friends had been able to fight on par with Discord's powerful chaos magic. Both sides were fatigued from their battle, however, Twilight and her friends had yet to use their trump card.

"Alright girls!" Twilight yelled, "Get into your positions!" Immediately, they surrounded Discord in a formation known as the Hexagon Seal Formation. The same formation the Elemental Warriors used to seal Alexei and Discord in the past. Discord quickly began to panic as he knew what they were about to do. However, Discord was worn out from their battle and didn't have an energy left to use his magic.

"No...that's impossible!" Discord exclaimed, "How did you learn that blasted seal formation?!"

"We learned it from an ancient book courtesy of the first Princess of Equestria, Princess Estellise," Twilight replied. In response, Discord tried to escape, but at that moment, they activated the Elements of Harmony, and fired a total of six magical beams at him. As his body slowly turned to stone, Discord yelled out as hard as he could and cursed Princess Estellise. Soon after, all that was left of Discord was a stone statue of his former alive self. However, instead of celebrating their victory, they continued to stay in the Hexagon Seal Formation. Twilight then looked at her friends' serious faces and said, "Let's do this." After everyone nodded their heads in agreement, they closed their eyes, and once again activated the Elements of Harmony. Meanwhile, back at Flareon's location, he was still fighting with Dark Flareon. Unfortunately, things were looking grim as Dark Flareon's beam was slowly pushing back Flareon's beam.

"What's wrong Flareon?" Dark Flareon said as he began to laugh, "What happened to all that talk about friendship? It this the best it can do? I told you hatred was more powerful! It always has been and always will be." Flareon desperately tried to push back his beam, but it was no use, Dark Flareon was just too powerful. At that moment, Flareon remembered about what Future Twilight had told him. It was during this moment when he was defeated, Dark Flareon absorbed him and gain his power, and then Dark Flareon did the same thing to Alexei, and that's how he became Destro. If Flareon didn't think of something fast, that future was bound to happen again. Just as Flareon was beginning to lose hope, he suddenly began to hear the voices inside his head. It turns out Twilight and his friends were using the Elements of Harmony to communicate with him. Everyone was saying how they believed in him and how he couldn't let himself be defeated by Dark Flareon. Twilight then told him how she, Solana, and Spike wanted to go on a vacation together as a family once this was all over. After the voices stopped, Flareon began to smile happily.

"They're right," Flareon muttered.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Dark Flareon replied, "Has it finally sunk in that you can't beat me?"

"I'm not going to lose here!" Flareon exclaimed, "Especially to you! I made a promise to Future Twilight!" Suddenly, Flareon's beam grew bigger in size and quickly began to push Dark Flareon's beam back as the tide of battle had made a complete 180. Dark Flareon quickly began to panic as Flareon's beam was almost near him.

"No!" Dark Flareon yelled, "Impossible! This can't be! I'm supposed to be stronger than you!" A few seconds later, Flareon's beam had completely obliterated his beam, and hit Dark Flareon as he screamed in agony and slowly disappeared inside the blazing inferno. After the fire dispersed, Dark Flareon was nowhere to be seen. He was gone. Suddenly, Flareon heard the sound of clapping and quickly turned around. Alexei was walking towards him and smiling as if he had just witnessed a very entertaining show.

"Congratulations Flareon. Not only have you defeated your dark self...you successfully managed to beat Maximus, Grim, and Draco, my three shadow dragon generals. I have to say...you're way stronger than any of the Elemental Warriors ever was, including Nova. It's going to such fun crushing you inside my claw. If you're lucky enough...I might make you into a pony rug and lay you near my fireplace," Alexei said as he chuckled.

"Are we going to do this or do you want to continue with your terrible comedy routine?" Flareon replied as a smirk appeared across his face.

"Very well all mighty chosen one," Alexei said as he held his claws close to his body and gathered an extreme amount of power which started to cause an earthquake as a result, "I say it's about time for the main event to finally begin!" Alexei then hit his fists together as he was quickly engulfed in a tall pillar of black fire. The pillar was so tall, it nearly reached the dark clouds in the sky. Soon after, the black fire dispersed and Alexei, who was now at least 100 ft. tall, was seen standing before Flareon, who was in complete shock.

"The only ponies to see me in my true form and live to tell the tale was Nova and the Elemental Warriors," Alexei said. Every word he spoke was like a dynamite blast going off. "I'm going to make sure it stays that way!" Alexei then roared loudly as the battle between the chosen one and the dragon of darkness had finally begun. However, this was not simply just a battle between a pony and dragon, this was a fight for the future of Equestria! As expected from two very powerful individuals, this fight wasn't not disappointing as both Flareon and Alexei were going at each other as hard as they could. Flareon was flying around Alexei and shooting fireball after fireball continuously while he dodged Alexei's onslaught of attacks. As Alexei shot another gigantic black fireball towards Flareon, he also countered it with a gigantic fireball of his own. After the two fireballs collided in mid-air, they quickly ricocheted off each other and went in separate directions. Flareon then flew directly at Alexei and after dodging another fireball, he reared back his right hoof and punched Alexei hard on the right side of his face. The force of the punch was so powerful, it was able to move Alexei's head to the left, however, the punch had no effect whatsoever damage wise on Alexei as he simply smiled in response. As Flareon turned his head to the left, he saw Alexei's huge right fist heading towards him. Unfortunately, Flareon wasn't able to dodge it in time as the punch sent Flareon flying across the sky. Luckily for him, Flareon's Flame God Mode helped him recover quickly from the hit. Flareon then created a Fire Hurricane and kicked it towards Alexei, who put up his arms in front of his face and was able to protect himself from most of the damage dealt by the attack, however, most of his body was still badly burnt as a result from the Fire Hurricane.

"That was a nice effort, but...you will have to do better than that!" Alexei exclaimed, "Let's see how you fair against my ultimate attack!" Alexei then charged up power in his mouth and five seconds later, fired a large black beam of pure darkness directly at Flareon. "Shadow Destruction Hyper Beam!" Unfortunately, Flareon had already made an Ultimate Fire Shuriken and sent it flying towards Alexei's attack. The Ultimate Fire Shuriken managed to tear through the Shadow Destruction Hyper Beam and hit Alexei directly in his chest before he knew what had just happened. Alexei screamed in pain as he slowly disappeared inside the blazing inferno caused by Flareon's attack. The power of Ultimate Fire Shuriken was so powerful, the fire dome had turned completely white, signifying the extreme heat of the fire. It nearly rivaled the power of an actual supernova. The reason behind why this Ultimate Fire Shuriken was stronger compared to the one used on Draco was because Flareon had put extra power into it. As Flareon watched the swirling dome of fire continue to rage on, he let out a sigh of relief as it was all finally over. Flareon had successfully managed to defeat Alexei. He then turned his attention to Canterlot.

"Well...I might as well see how the capital is doing," Flareon said as he turned around. At that moment, Flareon heard a voice yell from behind him. He turned his head back and saw a huge black beam of darkness heading right for him. Flareon wasn't able to dodge it in time as the attack hit him point blank. A second later, an unconscious Flareon was seen plummeting towards the ground like a fallen meteor. Soon after, Flareon began to regain consciousness and slowly got up. Flareon noticed that he had lost his Flame God Mode. It must have saved him from being killed. What Flareon saw next made his skip a beat as his eyes widened in shock. Alexei was still alive. Either it was because Alexei thought Flareon was dead, or he simply wasn't interested in Flareon anymore, because Alexei was now heading right for Canterlot. Suddenly, Flareon saw Princess Celestia flying towards Alexei. She then stopped in from of him and halted his progress.

"Well...what do we have here?" Alexei asked as a smug smirk appeared across his face, "Why if it isn't Princess Celestia! This is definitely a pleasant surprise. What's with that look? Are you perhaps mad that I just defeated your precious little chosen one?" Instead of responding, Celestia began to charge up her magic and created a big white ball of pure holy magic in front of her. "Eternal Heaven Vortex Beam!" Celestia yelled as she fire the magic ball at Alexei, which quickly turned into a cyclone-like beam. Alexei was completely caught off guard as the attack hit him and engulfed his entire body in a bright white light. Suddenly, without warning, a large claw shot out from the white void and grabbed Celestia before she had the chance to evade it. After the white void dissipated, Alexei was still seen holding his ground, however, her attack did manage to deliver a severe amount of damage. "Princess Celestia...that wasn't very nice now was it? I hope you won't mind I take that power you cherish so much and use it for myself!" Alexei exclaimed as black flames erupted around Celestia. She screamed loudly in pain as her body was slowly being drained of magic as it instead flowed into Alexei's body. As a result, Alexei was soon healed of every injury he sustained from the attacks dealt by both Flareon and Celestia. After Alexei was fully healed, he looked at Celestia's limp body and laughed manically. He then turned and threw Princess Celestia into the distance, like a person getting rid of a battery that ran out of power. As a horrified Flareon watched Celestia fall down and land somewhere, Flareon suddenly felt himself unable to move as if he had been frozen in fear. Unfortunately, Flareon also realized something at that point.

"I can't beat him," Flareon muttered as he continued to stare blankly at the ground, "Alexei is too strong...it's impossible...I failed." Meanwhile, near Canterlot, Shining Armor, Cadance, and the royal guards had now be forced to retreat into the city.

"Come on everyone! Hold your ground!" Shinning Armor yelled as the shadow dragon army continued to advance on them, "We can't let them reach the castle!" In response, everyone let out a loud cheer as they once again continued on with their fight against Alexei's army. Meanwhile, back at Flareon's position, he was still lamenting at the fact he couldn't defeat Alexei. Suddenly, he heard someone call his name. As Flareon slowly turned his head, he saw Twilight and his friends running towards him. It turns out they had used the Elements of Harmony to find out Flareon's location. After everyone finally made to his spot, Applejack saw Alexei in the distance.

"Holy cow!" Applejack exclaimed, "Is that Alexei? He's taller than a Manehattan skyscraper!" However, Twilight was more concerned about Flareon at the moment.

"Flareon...what's wrong?" she asked.

"I can't do it," Flareon muttered, "I can't beat Alexei."

"What the heck are you talking about?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "You're the chosen one! Of course you can beat him! Why are you just sitting here? Come on dude...go kick Alexei's butt already!"

"You moron! Don't you understand? That prophecy was made by me! I was the one who told Princess Estellise about it after I went back in time! She's the one who put in on those five stone tablets!" Flareon yelled angrily, but then he quickly went back to his lament state, "It doesn't matter whether I'm a human or a pony. In the end...I'm just a pathetic failure." Everyone just watched in total silence as Flareon continued to sulk. The silence was finally broken when Twilight finally decided to speak again.

"After all we've been through Flareon...you're telling me this is it? You're just going to give up?" Twilight asked, "That's not the type of stallion I married, that's not my husband I know and love, and that's definitely not the father Solana has always looked up to." She then put her right hoof softly on Flareon's shoulder. "We believe in you." As Flareon looked up at her smiling face, he looked around and noticed everyone was also giving him that same warm, calm, kind smile. At that moment, Flareon felt a huge surge of confidence as he quickly got back up and gave everyone a smile in return. Flareon then hugged Twilight and thanked her for helping him get out of his rut. Soon after, Flareon thought up a way to defeat Alexei once and for all. A couple of minutes later, Flareon was seen explaining the details of his plan he had just finished drawing on the ground to everyone who was sitting silently around him.

"If I do my Supernova Cannon inside Alexei's mouth at the climax of him using his Shadow Destruction Hyper Beam, it should cause a chain reaction and destroy Alexei from the inside. By using my Flame God Mode, it should last long enough and allow me to travel straight through his attack, directly into his mouth. I also should be able to travel fast enough to break the sound barrier at the perfect moment of the climax." Suddenly, his lip quivered as Flareon began to hesitate on what he wanted to say next. Nearly ten seconds later, Flareon looked at the ground and muttered, "I won't survive the explosion." Just as he had feared, no one said anything as they were in total disbelief. They couldn't believe their ears. Flareon was planning on sacrificing himself to defeat Alexei. As everyone looked at the ground in silence, Twilight suddenly broke it when she burst out laughing.

"That's a good one Flareon!" Twilight exclaimed as she smiled awkwardly, "You're such a joker you know that? That's another thing I've always admired about you...your hilarious sense of humor!" Unfortunately, Twilight stopped laughing when she saw the look on Flareon's face, and immediately began to lose her composure. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" she yelled angrily as tears began to form in her eyes, "Telling me you won't survive! I swear...if you even think about doing that...I will never forgive you Flareon! You hear me?! Never!" When Flareon tried to explain himself, Twilight suddenly slapped Flareon across the face with her right hoof. However, Twilight didn't stop there as she continued to slap Flareon over and over and over while her friends watched in complete shock. Five slaps later, Flareon finally had enough as he quickly reached up with his right hoof and grabbed her hoof. "Let...go...off...me...you...bastard!' Twilight grunted as she struggled to break Flareon's hold on her.

"Twilight!" Flareon yelled as tears were now falling down Twilight's face, "I have to do this! If I don't defeat Alexei now...he's going to destroy Canterlot! If I could have just one wish...it would be for everyone, including you, Solana, Spike, and my friends to finally be able to live in peace. Looking back at that day when I first arrived in Equestria, I'm very thankful that happened because if it never did, I would still be that scared, lonely, and angry guy that was going nowhere in life. Please understand Twilight...this is my destiny. Even though I was the one who actually made the prophecy, it's still my destiny that I have to carry out. Not only is everyone in Equestria counting on me, the ponies in the past and future are too. I can't let any of them down or I will never be able to forgive myself." Flareon then let go off Twilight's hoof and hugged her. "I love you." Twilight could only hug him back as she continued to cry. As Flareon slowly let her go, he turned to see the faces of his friends, who were also crying. After Flareon said his goodbyes to everyone, he turned around and went back into Flame God Mode. He could still hear the sound of their crying behind him ringing in his ears. Soon after, Flareon flew into the air and quickly headed towards Alexei, who had almost reached Canterlot. As Flareon flew in front of Alexei, he actually wasn't surprised to see that Flareon was still alive.

"It's about time you showed up!" Alexei said as he laughed manically, "I was really starting to worry that you ran away and abandoned everyone. Now that is what I would call pure evil!"

"I'm here to end this Alexei," Flareon replied, "You're never going to reach Canterlot. I'm going to kill you once and for all! Right here...right now!" Alexei had now stopped laughing as his smile turned into an angry smirk.

"You never learn do you? You can't kill me! I am the darkness!" Alexei exclaimed, "Once I finish you off...I'm going after your precious little family and I will torture them everyday until their will gives out! You can watch it happen from the afterlife along with Nova!" Alexei quickly began to charge up power in his mouth, and a five seconds later, fired off another Shadow Destruction Hyper Beam directly at Flareon. As planned, Flareon quickly flew towards the beam, and right into it. At first the overwhelming power of the darkness stung badly, but Flareon knew he just had to deal with the pain and he continued on through it. As Flareon was nearing his Alexei's mouth, his body was starting to slowly disintegrate, so Flareon was forced to kick it up a notch. A few seconds later, Flareon finally made it inside Alexei and immediately unleashed his Supernova Cannon, which in Flame God Mode, became a more powerful version called the Big Bang Cannon. As Alexei looked around, he was overjoyed to find out Flareon was nowhere to be seen.

"There's no one left to stop me!" a smug Alexei proclaimed, "Equestria is finally mine!" At that moment, Alexei suddenly heard a particular crackling noise. When he looked at his right arm, his eyes widened in horror as small white glowing cracks were beginning to appear all over it. When Alexei looked at his left arm, the same thing was happening, including on his legs, chest, and even his head. "No! This is impossible!" Alexei yelled as the cracks were rapidly growing in number and size. It didn't take long before Alexei figured out who had caused this. Just before his body completely broke down, Alexei cursed Flareon as loud as he could. Soon after, Alexei's body exploded in a bright white light as different planet-shaped stars began to explode one after another in the sky as the dark clouds above slowly dissipated and let in the warm light from the sun. The planet-shaped stars continued to go off like fireworks while they showered the area of the explosion, including the spot where Twilight and her friends were standing at, with small snowflake stars. Meanwhile in Canterlot, Shining Armor, Cadance, and the royal guards were celebrating the fireworks as the shadow dragon army had disappeared right after Alexei was killed. Ponyville, Cloudsdale, including Fillydelphia was also in view of the fireworks. As Twilight and the others continued watching the fireworks go off, they suddenly heard a soft voice come from behind them. When Twilight and the others turned around, they saw Princess Celestia smiling weakly as she limped towards them.

"I saw what Flareon did," Celestia said as she stopped near them, "It was a very noble and brave act. He will forever be remembered as the greatest hero Equestria has ever known!" Suddenly, tears began to slowly fall down her face. "I'm going to miss him." As she started to cry, Twilight walked over to Celestia and hugged her. As Twilight began to cry along with her, the others also hugged Celestia, and cried too. Soon after, they sat down together and continued to watch the fireworks. Eventually, the fireworks ended, and everyone began to head back home to check on their families. Meanwhile, Twilight was still sitting on the ground as she continued to stare at the spot where the fireworks had appeared not long ago. The same place Flareon was last seen at. A couple of minutes later, she slowly got up, not taking her eyes away from the fireworks spot.

"Flareon," Twilight whispered, "I love you." She then turned around and walked slowly back home to Golden Oak Library. Even though Flareon was gone, the legacy he left behind would last forever. It would never be forgotten. Flareon would continue to live on in everyone's hearts, not as the chosen one, but instead as a great friend, a caring father, and a loving husband.


End file.
